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P-5.1 - Act respecting the sectoral parameters of certain fiscal measures

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In force date

2022-09-01 Show full text at this date

SCHEDULE A

INVESTISSEMENT QUÉBEC

CHAPTER I

MEASURES COVERED BY THIS SCHEDULE

1.1. Investissement Québec administers the sectoral parameters of the following fiscal measures:

(1) the deduction in respect of a foreign specialist working in the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel provided for in sections 737.18.6 to 737.18.7.3, 737.18.9 to 737.18.10.1 and 737.18.13 of the Taxation Act (chapter I-3);

(2) (paragraph repealed);

(3) the deduction in respect of a foreign specialist in respect of the new economy provided for in sections 737.22.0.1 to 737.22.0.4 of the Taxation Act;

(4) the tax credit for multimedia titles (general) provided for in sections 1029.8.36.0.3.8 to 1029.8.36.0.3.17 of the Taxation Act;

(5) the tax credit for corporations specialized in the production of multimedia titles provided for in sections 1029.8.36.0.3.18 to 1029.8.36.0.3.26 of the Taxation Act;

(6) the tax credit for corporations established in E-Commerce Place provided for in sections 1029.8.36.0.3.46 to 1029.8.36.0.3.59 of the Taxation Act and sections 34.1.9 to 34.1.11 of the Act respecting the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (chapter R-5);

(7) the tax credit for major employment-generating projects provided for in sections 1029.8.36.0.3.72 to 1029.8.36.0.3.78 of the Taxation Act;

(8) the tax holidays and tax credits to foster the development of the new economy provided for in sections 771, 771.1, 771.8.5, 771.12, 771.13, 1029.8.36.0.17 to 1029.8.36.0.36.1 and 1138.2.1 of the Taxation Act and sections 33 and 34 of the Act respecting the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec;

(9) the tax holidays and tax credits relating to the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel provided for in sections 737.18.6, 737.18.6.1, 737.18.8 to 737.18.9.2, 737.18.11, 737.18.12, 1029.8.36.0.38 to 1029.8.36.0.93, 1130, 1137 and 1137.8 of the Taxation Act and section 34 of the Act respecting the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec;

(10) the tax credit for job creation in the resource regions, in the Aluminum Valley and in the Gaspésie and certain maritime regions of Québec provided for in sections 1029.8.36.72.82.1 to 1029.8.36.72.82.12 of the Taxation Act;

(11) the tax credit to promote employment in the Gaspésie and certain maritime regions of Québec provided for in sections 1029.8.36.72.82.13 to 1029.8.36.72.82.26 of the Taxation Act;

(12) the tax credit for the development of e-business provided for in sections 1029.8.36.0.3.79 to 1029.8.36.0.3.83 of the Taxation Act;

(13) the tax credit for the market diversification of manufacturing businesses provided for in sections 1029.8.36.0.119 to 1029.8.36.0.125 of the Taxation Act;

(14) the tax credit for scientific research and experimental development work carried on by a biopharmaceutical corporation provided for in sections 1029.7, 1029.7.0.1 and 1029.7.2.1 of the Taxation Act;

(15) the tax credit relating to information technology integration provided for in sections 1029.8.36.166.60.19 to 1029.8.36.166.60.35 of the Taxation Act;

(16) the tax credit for major digital transformation projects provided for in sections 1029.8.36.0.3.84 to 1029.8.36.0.3.87 of the Taxation Act;

(17) the tax credit for the digital transformation of print media provided for in sections 1029.8.36.0.3.88 to 1029.8.36.0.3.108 of the Taxation Act;

(18) the tax credit to support print media provided for in sections 1029.8.36.0.3.109 to 1029.8.36.0.3.119 of the Taxation Act; and

(19) the tax credit to foster synergy between Québec businesses provided for in sections 776.1.36 to 776.1.41 of the Taxation Act.

CHAPTER II

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF DEDUCTION RELATING TO FOREIGN SPECIALIST WORKING IN MONTRÉAL INTERNATIONAL TRADE ZONE AT MIRABEL

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

2.1. In this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise,

“eligible activity” of a recognized business carried on by a corporation in a taxation year, or by a partnership in a fiscal period, means an activity that is specified in the business certificate, within the meaning of the first paragraph of section 10.3, held by the corporation or partnership in respect of the recognized business, and that is carried on in the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel by the corporation in the year or by the partnership in the fiscal period;

“eligible employer” means a corporation or partnership that holds a valid business certificate within the meaning of the first paragraph of section 10.3;

“foreign specialist tax holiday” means the fiscal measure provided for in Title VII.2.2 of Book IV of Part I of the Taxation Act that allows an individual to deduct an amount in computing his or her taxable income for a taxation year under section 737.18.10 of that Act;

“Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel” has the meaning assigned by section 10.1;

“recognized business” of a corporation for a taxation year, or of a partnership for a fiscal period, means a business that the corporation or partnership declares it is carrying on in the year or fiscal period, and in respect of which the corporation or partnership holds a business certificate, within the meaning of the first paragraph of section 10.3.

Where a certificate referred to in the definition of “eligible employer” in the first paragraph is revoked retroactively, it is, for the purposes of that definition, deemed to be valid until the date of the notice of revocation.

2.2. In order for an individual who works for an eligible employer to benefit from the foreign specialist tax holiday for a taxation year, the eligible employer must have obtained a certificate in respect of the individual (in this chapter referred to as a “specialist certificate”). The certificate is valid only for the taxation year for which it was obtained.

However, subject to section 2.3, a specialist certificate obtained by an eligible employer in respect of an individual for a particular taxation year is valid only if the employment contract binding the individual to the employer was entered into before 13 June 2003.

2.3. For the purposes of this chapter, a contract resulting from the renewal, after 12 June 2003, of an employment contract referred to in the second paragraph of section 2.2 (in this section referred to as the “original contract”) is deemed not to be an employment contract separate from the original contract.

The rule set out in the first paragraph applies, with the necessary modifications, to a new employment contract that is entered into after 12 June 2003 with another eligible employer, which employer is deemed not to be an employer separate from the eligible employer (in this section referred to as the “first employer”) who entered into the original contract, provided that

(1) the other eligible employer declares to Investissement Québec that

(a) it controls, directly or indirectly, the first employer,

(b) it is, directly or indirectly, a controlled subsidiary of the first employer, or

(c) as a result of a transaction referred to in section 518 or 566 of the Taxation Act, it is carrying on the business of the first employer in the course of which the individual who entered into the original contract performed duties that met the conditions of section 2.5; and

(2) it may reasonably be considered that, but for the change of employer, the individual who entered into the original contract would have continued to be recognized as a foreign specialist in respect of the first employer, in accordance with section 2.5, until the time when the individual took up employment with the other eligible employer.

2.4. The parameters provided for in this chapter are administered by Investissement Québec only in the exercise of its powers of amendment and revocation.

DIVISION II

SPECIALIST CERTIFICATE

2.5. A specialist certificate issued to an eligible employer certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as a specialist in respect of the employer for the taxation year for which the application for the certificate was made or for the part of the year specified in it.

2.6. An individual may be recognized as a specialist in respect of an eligible employer if the individual is an administrator or professional whose expertise is widely recognized in the individual’s community and the individual’s duties with the employer are carried on exclusively or almost exclusively, on a continuous basis, in that capacity in the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel and relate to the eligible activities of the recognized business carried on by the employer.

2.7. If an individual is temporarily absent from work for reasons it considers reasonable, Investissement Québec may, for the purpose of determining whether the individual meets the conditions for recognition as a specialist in respect of an eligible employer, consider that the individual continued to perform his or her duties throughout the period of absence exactly as he or she was performing them immediately before the beginning of that period.

CHAPTER III

(Repealed)

DIVISION I

(Repealed)

3.1. (Repealed).

3.2. (Repealed).

DIVISION II

(Repealed)

3.3. (Repealed).

3.4. (Repealed).

3.5. (Repealed).

3.6. (Repealed).

CHAPTER IV

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF DEDUCTION RELATING TO FOREIGN SPECIALIST WORKING IN NEW ECONOMY SECTOR

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

4.1. In this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise,

“biotechnology development centre” has the meaning assigned by section 9.1;

“eligible activity” of an eligible employer for a taxation year means,

(1) if the eligible employer is a corporation described in paragraph 1 of the definition of “eligible employer”, an activity of the employer that is mentioned in the corporation certificate, within the meaning of subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph of section 7.2, issued to the corporation for the year;

(2) if the eligible employer is a corporation described in paragraph 3 of the definition of “eligible employer”, an activity of the employer that is mentioned in the activities certificate, within the meaning of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph of section 9.3, issued to the corporation for the year; or

(3) if the eligible employer is a corporation described in any of paragraphs 4 to 7 of the definition of “eligible employer”, an activity of a business of the employer that is referred to in that paragraph;

“eligible employer” for a taxation year means

(1) a corporation to which a corporation certificate, within the meaning of subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph of section 7.2, is issued for the year;

(2) a corporation that holds a valid exempt corporation certificate, within the meaning of the first paragraph of section 9.2;

(3) a corporation to which a specified corporation certificate, within the meaning of subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph of section 9.3, is issued for the year;

(4) a corporation to which an unrevoked qualification certificate has been issued in respect of a business it carries on in the year, for the purposes of Division II.6.0.1.7 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act;

(5) a corporation to which an unrevoked qualification certificate has been issued in respect of a business it carries on in the year, for the purposes of Division II.6.6.7 of that Chapter III.1;

(6) a corporation to which an unrevoked qualification certificate has been issued in respect of a business that is referred to in paragraph a of the definition of “recognized business” in the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.72.56 of the Taxation Act and that the corporation carries on in the year, for the purposes of Division II.6.6.5 of that Chapter III.1; or

(7) a corporation to which an unrevoked qualification certificate has been issued in respect of a business that is referred to in paragraph b of the definition of “recognized business” in the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.72.56 of that Act and that the corporation carries on in the year, for the purposes of that Division II.6.6.5;

“foreign specialist tax holiday” means the fiscal measure provided for in Title VII.3.1 of Book IV of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which an individual may deduct an amount in computing his or her taxable income for a taxation year.

For the purposes of the definition of “eligible employer” in the first paragraph, the following rules must be taken into consideration:

(1) where a qualification certificate or a certificate referred to in any of paragraphs 2 and 4 to 7 of that definition is revoked retroactively, it is deemed to be valid until the date of the notice of revocation; and

(2) where a certificate referred to in paragraph 1 or 3 of that definition is revoked, it is deemed to be valid for the whole taxation year for which it was issued.

4.2. In order for an individual who works for an eligible employer to benefit from the foreign specialist tax holiday for a taxation year, the eligible employer must obtain a certificate in respect of the individual (in this chapter referred to as a “specialist certificate”) from Investissement Québec. The certificate must be obtained for each taxation year for which the individual may claim the tax holiday.

The employer must file an application for the certificate before 1 March of the calendar year that follows the taxation year concerned.

However, subject to section 4.3, a specialist certificate obtained by an eligible employer in respect of an individual for a particular taxation year is valid only if the employment contract binding the individual to the employer was entered into before 13 June 2003. This rule does not apply to a corporation described in paragraph 2 or 3 of the definition of “eligible employer” in the first paragraph of section 4.1 that carries on a business in a biotechnology development centre.

4.3. For the purposes of this chapter, a contract resulting from the renewal, after 12 June 2003, of an employment contract referred to in the third paragraph of section 4.2 (in this section referred to as the “original contract”) is deemed not to be an employment contract separate from the original contract.

(1) the other eligible employer is a corporation described in the third paragraph;

(2) the other eligible employer declares to Investissement Québec that

(a) it controls, directly or indirectly, the first employer,

(b) it is, directly or indirectly, a controlled subsidiary of the first employer, or

(3) it may reasonably be considered that, but for the change of employer, the individual who entered into the original contract would have continued to be recognized as a specialist in respect of the first employer, in accordance with section 4.5, until the time when the individual took up employment with the other eligible employer.

The corporation to which subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph refers is,

(1) if the first employer is a corporation described in any of paragraphs 1 and 4 to 7 of the definition of “eligible employer” in the first paragraph of section 4.1, a corporation described in that paragraph;

(2) if the first employer is a corporation described in paragraph 2 of the definition of “eligible employer” in the first paragraph of section 4.1, a corporation described in that paragraph that does not carry on a business in a biotechnology development centre; or

(3) if the first employer is a corporation described in paragraph 3 of the definition of “eligible employer” in the first paragraph of section 4.1, either of the following corporations:

(a) if the new employment contract is entered into between 12 June 2003 and 31 March 2004, a corporation described in that paragraph, and

(b) if the new employment contract is entered into after 30 March 2004, a corporation described in that paragraph that does not carry on a business in a biotechnology development centre.

4.4. Where an eligible employer is not a corporation that is described in paragraph 2 or 3 of the definition of “eligible employer” in the first paragraph of section 4.1 and that carries on a business in a biotechnology development centre, the parameters provided for in this chapter are administered by Investissement Québec only in the exercise of its powers of amendment and revocation.

DIVISION II

SPECIALIST CERTIFICATE

4.5. A specialist certificate issued to an eligible employer certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as a specialist in respect of the employer for the taxation year for which the application for the certificate was made or for the part of the year specified in it.

4.6. An individual may be recognized as a specialist in respect of an eligible employer if

(1) unless the employer is a corporation described in paragraph 2 of the definition of “eligible employer” in the first paragraph of section 4.1, the individual’s duties with the employer are exclusively or almost exclusively, on a continuous basis, attributable to eligible activities of the employer; and

(2) the individual’s duties with the employer consist exclusively or almost exclusively, on a continuous basis, in carrying on any of, or a combination of, the following activities:

(a) training activities;

(b) research and development;

(c) specialized tasks with respect to innovation management, marketing, transfer of technologies or innovation financing;

(d) if the employer is a corporation described in any of paragraphs 1, 4 and 5 of the definition of “eligible employer” in the first paragraph of section 4.1, the development and operation of technological systems or infrastructures; and

(e) if the employer is a corporation described in paragraph 6 or 7 of the definition of “eligible employer” in the first paragraph of section 4.1, or a corporation described in paragraph 2 or 3 of that definition that carries on a business in a biotechnology development centre, another activity in connection with biotechnology.

4.7. If an individual is temporarily absent from work for reasons it considers reasonable, Investissement Québec may, for the purpose of determining whether the individual meets the conditions for recognition as a specialist in respect of an eligible employer, consider that the individual continued to perform his or her duties throughout the period of absence exactly as he or she was performing them immediately before the beginning of that period.

4.8. An eligible employer to which a specialist certificate is issued for a taxation year must promptly send a copy of the certificate to the individual concerned so that it may be attached to his or her fiscal return for the year.

CHAPTER V

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT FOR MULTIMEDIA TITLES (GENERAL)

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

5.1. In this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise,

“chroma key shooting” means any studio shooting in front of a plain coloured screen, generally blue or green, allowing, by means of electronic wizardry, the incorporation of objects, images or special effects in the final image;

“computer-aided special effects and animation” means special effects and animation sequences, as generally understood in the industry, created using digital technology, excluding effects that are strictly sound effects, subtitles and animation sequences essentially created by means of editing techniques;

“date of initial commercialization” of a title means, subject to the second paragraph,

(1) in the case of a title distributed over the Internet, the date on which it is put online;

(2) in the case of a title designed to be used with a game console or on a computer, the date from which the master copy is ready to be reproduced for commercialization purposes; or

(3) its distribution date, in any other case;

“tax credit for multimedia titles” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.1.2 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year;

“title” means an organized set of information.

The date of initial commercialization of a title developed by a corporation under a subcontract is the date on which the title is delivered to the client of the corporation.

5.2. To benefit from the tax credit for multimedia titles, a corporation must obtain a qualification certificate (in this chapter referred to as an “initial qualification certificate”) from Investissement Québec in respect of each title for which the corporation intends to claim the credit.

A corporation must also obtain a certificate (in this chapter referred to as a “production work certificate”) from Investissement Québec in respect of each such title. Certificates must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to claim the tax credit for multimedia titles.

DIVISION II

INITIAL QUALIFICATION CERTIFICATE

5.3. An initial qualification certificate issued to a corporation certifies that the title referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible multimedia title or as an eligible related title, as the case may be. In addition, the certificate states

(1) (repealed);

(2) whether or not the title is intended to be commercialized;

(3) whether or not the title is available in a French version; and

(4) whether or not the title is a vocational training title.

Investissement Québec may no longer issue an initial qualification certificate in respect of a title where, on the date of initial commercialization of the title, the title meets neither the conditions to be recognized as an eligible multimedia title nor the conditions to be recognized as an eligible related title.

5.4. To be recognized as an eligible multimedia title, a title must, subject to section 5.9,

(1) be produced by the corporation referred to in section 5.2;

(2) contain a substantial volume of three of the following four types of information, in digital form: text, sound, still images and animated images; and

(3) be published on an electronic medium and controlled by software allowing interactivity.

However, a title is deemed to meet the condition of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph if it is intended for users with a disability.

Similarly, a title that is part of another title produced by a corporation having no establishment in Québec is deemed to meet the conditions of subparagraphs 2 and 3 of the first paragraph if it is established to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that the other title meets those conditions.

For the purposes of subparagraph 3 of the first paragraph, a title is controlled by software allowing interactivity if the user participates in all or substantially all of the action of the title. In determining whether that condition is met, the following elements must be taken into account:

(1) the feedback capability of the title;

(2) the control that the user may exert on the action of the title; and

(3) the adaptation potential of the title to the user’s needs.

5.5. To be recognized as an eligible related title, a title must, subject to section 5.9,

(1) be produced by the corporation referred to in section 5.2;

(2) contain a substantial volume of three of the following four types of information: text, sound, still images and animated images; and

(3) be linked to a main multimedia title that is subject to an intellectual property right or a licence held by the corporation referred to in section 5.2 or by another corporation with which the corporation is associated, so that it is related to that right or licence.

However, a title is deemed to meet the condition of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph if it is intended for users with a disability.

5.6. A particular title is considered to be a main multimedia title in relation to another title (in this section referred to as a “related title”), if

(1) it is produced by the corporation that produces the related title or by a corporation associated with it;

(2) it meets the conditions of subparagraphs 2 and 3 of the first paragraph of section 5.4 or those of the first paragraph of section 6.4; and

(3) it is established to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that the total labour expenditure, in respect of the title, of the corporation that produces it is at least $1,000,000 or that it is reasonable to expect that that total will be at least $1,000,000.

In addition, where the particular title is produced by a corporation associated with the corporation that produces the related title, it may be considered to be a main multimedia title, in relation to the related title, only if it is established to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that the corporations are associated with each other throughout the period commencing at the beginning of the design stage of the related title and ending on its date of initial commercialization, or that it is reasonable to expect that they will be associated with each other throughout that period.

The conditions for recognition as an eligible related title are deemed never to have been met in respect of a given title that is linked to a main multimedia title where it appears, on the last day of the 12-month period following the date of initial commercialization of the given title, that the total labour expenditure, in respect of the main multimedia title, of the corporation that produces it is less than $1,000,000. The same applies where it appears, at a particular time in the period referred to in the second paragraph, that the corporation that produces the given title and the corporation that produces the main multimedia title are no longer associated with each other.

In this section, the total labour expenditure of a corporation in respect of a particular title is the aggregate of all amounts each of which is the amount of the corporation’s qualified labour expenditure for a particular taxation year, in respect of the particular title, within the meaning of the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.0.3.8 of the Taxation Act, the portion of the corporation’s qualified labour expenditure for a particular taxation year that may reasonably be attributed to the particular title, within the meaning of the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.0.3.18 of that Act, or the amount that would be the amount of the corporation’s qualified labour expenditure for a particular taxation year in respect of the particular title, within the meaning of the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.0.3.8 of that Act, if the corporation were a qualified corporation within the meaning of that first paragraph. However, only the amounts that are incurred and paid on or before the day that is 12 months after the date of initial commercialization of the related title linked to the particular title and that relate exclusively to the production of the particular title may be taken into account.

5.7. (Repealed).

5.8. A title is considered to be intended for commercialization only if it is available to the public and genuine commercialization efforts are made.

5.9. The following titles may be recognized neither as eligible multimedia titles nor as eligible related titles:

(1) titles that essentially are interpersonal communication services such as electronic bulletin board systems, discussion forums or videoconferencing, or transactional services such as online shopping, electronic ticketing, cybermalls or online payment systems;

(2) titles designed to advertise a for-profit corporation, present its activities or promote its products or services;

(3) titles that encourage violence or sexism, racism or any other form of discrimination; and

(4) titles that comprise explicit sex scenes or graphic representations of such scenes.

However, subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph does not operate to exclude a title that meets the conditions of the first paragraph of section 5.5 solely because it is designed to promote the main multimedia title to which it is linked.

DIVISION III

PRODUCTION WORK CERTIFICATE

5.10. A production work certificate issued to a corporation for a taxation year specifies the work carried out in the year, in respect of the title referred to in the certificate, that is recognized as eligible production work.

The certificate also states the name of the individuals who, in the taxation year and while in the service of the corporation or of a subcontractor not dealing at arm’s length with it, are directly engaged in such work. In addition, the certificate specifies the functions performed by each individual in the course of the work, the period during which the individual engaged in such work, the number of hours spent by the individual on such work and, if applicable, the name of the subcontractor not dealing at arm’s length for which the individual works.

The production work certificate states the name of any person or partnership, other than a subcontractor not dealing at arm’s length, with which the corporation entered into a subcontract, specifies which work referred to in the first paragraph is performed under the subcontract, and states the proportion, expressed as a percentage, that the services rendered to the corporation by the person or partnership in connection with such work is of all the services rendered to the corporation by the person or partnership.

Investissement Québec issues a production work certificate in relation to a title to a corporation only if the corporation holds a valid initial qualification certificate in respect of the title.

An individual is deemed, in a particular period in which the individual works for the corporation or for a subcontractor not dealing at arm’s length with it, to spend all the hours of work completed in the service of the corporation or subcontractor engaging in work recognized as eligible production work in respect of a title if, during the period, the individual spends at least 90% of those hours engaging in such work.

In this section, “subcontractor not dealing at arm’s length” with a corporation means a person or partnership in respect of whom the following conditions are met:

(1) the corporation and the person or partnership have entered into a subcontract concerning the carrying out of work referred to in the first paragraph; and

(2) the corporation is not dealing at arm’s length with the person or partnership at the time the subcontract is entered into.

5.11. To be recognized as eligible production work in relation to a title, work must be engaged in as of the beginning of the design stage and for the purpose of carrying out the stages in its production. Such work includes activities relating to the writing of the title’s script, the development of its interactive structure, the acquisition and production of its constituent elements, its computer and online development, the system architecture, the title’s community of users, the analysis of performance-related quantitative data for the purpose of optimizing the title’s performance, and technological activities relating to its updating. In the case of a title that is recognized as an eligible related title, such work also includes eligible computer-aided special effects and animation activities.

However, activities relating to the acquisition of copyrights or to the mastering, media duplication, promotion, distribution or dissemination of a title, other than activities relating to the system architecture or technological activities relating to the updating of the title, may not be recognized as eligible production work in respect of a title.

Activities relating to the system architecture include the design, installation, development and maintenance of the infrastructure that hosts a title, including the network and the servers required to operate it, the development of tools aimed at optimizing the operation, management and maintenance of such infrastructure, as well as the management of the system security and of the data access.

Activities relating to a title’s community of users means

(1) community development activities, which include activities relating to the establishment and maintenance of a link between the community and the online title development team in order to retain users of the title and attract new ones;

(2) activities related to the position of gamemaster, which include activities relating to the hosting and guidance of users in the community to enable them to take full advantage of all of the title’s potential; and

(3) technical services to the community, which include activities to coordinate and optimize user relations.

Technological activities relating to the installation of the new versions of a title, the updating of its contents, the optimization of the computer infrastructure in operation, and the regular or urgent maintenance tasks in connection with that infrastructure are technological activities relating to the updating of a title.

Activities that contribute directly to the creation of computer-aided special effects and animation and to chroma keying, such as motion capture, correction of animation curves, rendering, image retouching, graphics, filming, the use of computerized and automated animation benches, the use of computer-assisted automated cameras and chroma key shooting, are considered to be eligible computer-aided special effects and animation activities.

DIVISION IV

(Repealed)

5.12. (Repealed).

5.13. (Repealed).

CHAPTER VI

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT FOR CORPORATIONS SPECIALIZED IN PRODUCTION OF MULTIMEDIA TITLES

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

6.1. In this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise,

“date of initial commercialization” of a title means, subject to the second paragraph,

(1) in the case of a title distributed over the Internet, the date on which it is put online;

(2) in the case of a title designed to be used with a game console or on a computer, the date from which the master copy is ready to be reproduced for commercialization purposes; or

(3) its distribution date, in any other case;

“eligible title” means a title that is recognized by Investissement Québec under section 6.4 or 6.5 as an eligible multimedia title or as an eligible related title;

“tax credit for corporations specialized in the production of multimedia titles” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.1.3 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year;

“title” means an organized set of information.

The date of initial commercialization of a title developed by a corporation under a subcontract is the date on which the title is delivered to the client of the corporation.

6.2. To benefit from the tax credit for corporations specialized in the production of multimedia titles, a corporation must obtain a certificate (in this chapter referred to as a “specialized corporation certificate”) from Investissement Québec, in respect of its activities for the purposes of Division II.6.0.1.3 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act.

A corporation must also obtain a certificate (in this chapter referred to as a “production work certificate”) from Investissement Québec, in respect of the group of titles for which the corporation intends to claim the tax credit.

The certificates referred to in the first and second paragraphs must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation wishes to benefit from the fiscal measure.

DIVISION II

SPECIALIZED CORPORATION CERTIFICATE

6.3. The specialized corporation certificate issued to a corporation for a taxation year certifies that at least 75% of the activities it carries on in Québec consist in producing, for itself or for another person or a partnership, eligible titles and, if applicable, in engaging in scientific research and experimental development relating to those titles. It specifies, as the case may be,

(1) that at least 75% of the eligible titles produced by the corporation in the year are to be commercialized, are available in a French version and are not vocational training titles, or that at least 75% of its gross revenue for the year is derived from such eligible titles;

(2) that at least 75% of the eligible titles produced by the corporation in the year are to be commercialized and are not vocational training titles, or that at least 75% of its gross revenue for the year is derived from such eligible titles; or

(3) that less than 75% of the eligible titles produced by the corporation in the year are to be commercialized and are not vocational training titles, and that less than 75% of its gross revenue for the year is derived from such eligible titles.

The specialized corporation certificate identifies the titles being produced by the corporation in the taxation year that are either titles described in the first paragraph of section 6.9 or titles that are not eligible titles for any other reason.

6.4. To be recognized as an eligible multimedia title, a title must, subject to section 6.9,

(1) contain a substantial volume of three of the following four types of information, in digital form: text, sound, still images and animated images; and

(2) be published on an electronic medium and controlled by software allowing interactivity.

However, a title is deemed to meet the condition of subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph if it is intended for users with a disability.

Similarly, a title that is part of another title produced by a corporation having no establishment in Québec is deemed to meet the conditions of the first paragraph if it is established to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that the other title meets those conditions. This presumption also applies where the other title is produced by a corporation having an establishment in Québec, but only for the purposes of the first paragraph of section 6.3.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, a title is controlled by software allowing interactivity if the user participates in all or substantially all of the action of the title. In determining whether that condition is met, the following elements must be taken into account:

(1) the feedback capability of the title;

(2) the control that the user may exert on the action of the title; and

(3) the adaptation potential of the title to the user’s needs.

6.5. To be recognized as an eligible related title, a title must, subject to section 6.9,

(1) contain a substantial volume of three of the following four types of information: text, sound, still images and animated images; and

(2) be linked to a main multimedia title that is subject to an intellectual property right or a licence held by the corporation that produces it or by another corporation with which the corporation is associated, so that it is related to that right or licence.

However, a title is deemed to meet the condition of subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph if it is intended for users with a disability.

6.6. A particular title is considered to be a main multimedia title in relation to another title (in this section referred to as a “related title”), if

(1) it is produced by the corporation that produces the related title or by a corporation associated with it;

(2) it meets the conditions of subparagraphs 2 and 3 of the first paragraph of section 5.4 or those of the first paragraph of section 6.4; and

6.7. (Repealed).

6.8. A title is considered to be intended for commercialization only if it is available to the public and genuine commercialization efforts are made.

6.9. The following titles may be recognized neither as eligible multimedia titles nor as eligible related titles:

(2) titles designed to advertise a for-profit corporation, present its activities or promote its products or services;

(3) titles that encourage violence or sexism, racism or any other form of discrimination; and

(4) titles that comprise explicit sex scenes or graphic representations of such scenes.

However, subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph does not operate to exclude a title that meets the conditions of the first paragraph of section 6.5 solely because it is designed to promote the main multimedia title to which it is linked.

DIVISION III

PRODUCTION WORK CERTIFICATE

6.10. A production work certificate issued to a corporation for a taxation year specifies the work carried out in the year by the corporation or, if applicable, on its behalf, in respect of any eligible title it produces, that is recognized as eligible production work.

The certificate also states the name of the individuals who, in the taxation year and while in the service of the corporation or of a subcontractor not dealing at arm’s length with it, are directly engaged in such work. In addition, the certificate specifies the functions performed by each individual in the course of the work, the percentage of the individual’s working time devoted to such work and, if applicable, the name of the subcontractor not dealing at arm’s length for which the individual works.

An individual is deemed, in a particular period in which the individual works for the corporation or for a subcontractor not dealing at arm’s length with it, to spend all of the individual’s working time for the corporation or subcontractor engaging in work recognized as eligible production work in respect of an eligible title the corporation produces if, during the period, the individual spends at least 90% of working time engaging in such work.

In this section, “subcontractor not dealing at arm’s length” with a corporation means a person or partnership in respect of whom the following conditions are met:

(1) the corporation and the person or partnership have entered into a subcontract concerning the carrying out of work referred to in the first paragraph; and

(2) the corporation is not dealing at arm’s length with the person or partnership at the time the subcontract is entered into.

6.11. To be recognized as eligible production work in relation to an eligible title, work must be engaged in as of the beginning of the design stage and for the purpose of carrying out the stages in its production. Such work includes activities relating to the writing of the title’s script, the development of its interactive structure, the acquisition and production of its constituent elements, its computer and online development, the system architecture, the title’s community of users, the analysis of performance-related quantitative data for the purpose of optimizing the title’s performance, and technological activities relating to its updating. In the case of an eligible title that is recognized as an eligible related title, such work also includes eligible computer-aided special effects and animation activities.

However, activities relating to the acquisition of copyrights or to the mastering, media duplication, promotion, distribution or dissemination of an eligible title, other than activities relating to the system architecture or technological activities relating to the updating of the title, may not be recognized as eligible production work in respect of an eligible title.

Activities relating to the system architecture include the design, installation, development and maintenance of the infrastructure that hosts an eligible title, including the network and the servers required to operate it, the development of tools aimed at optimizing the operation, management and maintenance of such infrastructure, as well as the management of the system security and of the data access.

Activities relating to an eligible title’s community of users means

(3) technical services to the community, which include activities to coordinate and optimize user relations.

Technological activities relating to the installation of the new versions of an eligible title, the updating of its contents, the optimization of the computer infrastructure in operation, and the regular or urgent maintenance tasks in connection with that infrastructure are technological activities relating to the updating of an eligible title.

DIVISION IV

(Repealed)

6.12. (Repealed).

6.13. (Repealed).

CHAPTER VII

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT FOR CORPORATIONS ESTABLISHED IN E-COMMERCE PLACE

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

7.1. In this chapter,

“E-Commerce Place” means all the buildings located in Montréal at 1350 and 1360, boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest;

“tax credit relating to E-Commerce Place” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.1.6 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year or, if a corporation so elects for a taxation year, the fiscal measure provided for in subdivision 3.1 of Division I of Chapter IV of the Act respecting the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec, under which it is deemed to have made an overpayment to the Minister of Revenue under that Division I.

7.2. To benefit from the tax credit relating to E-Commerce Place, a corporation must obtain the following certificates from Investissement Québec:

(1) a certificate for the purposes of Division II.6.0.1.6 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act (in this chapter referred to as a “corporation certificate”); and

(2) a certificate in respect of each individual for whom the corporation claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as an “employee certificate”).

The certificates must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to claim the tax credit.

However, Investissement Québec may deliver such certificates for a particular taxation year only if the following conditions are met in respect of the corporation that applied for them:

(1) a corporation certificate was issued to the corporation for the most recent taxation year, prior to the particular year, for which it filed a written application for that purpose before 12 June 2003;

(2) a corporation certificate was issued to the corporation for each taxation year that is between that prior year and the particular year; and

(3) at the time the certificates must be issued for the particular year, no certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 or 2 has been revoked.

If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes a corporation certificate issued to the corporation for a given taxation year not prior to the taxation year referred to in subparagraph 1 of the third paragraph, any certificate issued to the corporation for a taxation year subsequent to the given year is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at that time. In such a case, the effective date of the deemed revocation is the date of coming into force of the certificate that is deemed to be revoked. The same applies to any employee certificate issued for the given year, except that the effective date of the deemed revocation is the date specified in the notice of revocation of the corporation certificate.

7.3. For the purpose of applying, for a particular taxation year, the third paragraph of section 7.2 in respect of a particular corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization involving at least one other corporation that held a valid corporation certificate for its taxation year ending immediately before the time of the reorganization or that includes that time (in this section and in section 7.4 referred to as the “reorganization year”), any corporation certificate issued to the other corporation, or, if there is more than one, to any of the other corporations, for any of its taxation years that is the reorganization year, the year referred to in subparagraph 1 of that third paragraph or a year between those two taxation years, or that is deemed to have been issued to the corporation because of this paragraph, is, subject to the second paragraph, deemed to have been issued to the particular corporation for the same taxation year. This paragraph is deemed to have applied before 1 January 2011 in respect of any other corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization, if a corporation certificate was issued to the other corporation before that date.

However, if a corporation certificate that was issued to a given corporation and to which the first paragraph would otherwise apply is revoked by Investissement Québec, none of the corporation certificates that were issued, or that are deemed to have been issued, to the given corporation are deemed to have been issued to the particular corporation under the first paragraph.

If, at a particular time, the application of the second paragraph causes the conditions of subparagraphs 1 and 2 of the third paragraph of section 7.2 to cease to be met in respect of the particular corporation for a particular taxation year, any certificate issued to the particular corporation is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at that time. In such a case, the effective date of the deemed revocation is the date of coming into force of the certificate that is revoked.

In this section and in section 7.4, “corporate reorganization” means

(1) an amalgamation of corporations;

(2) the winding-up of a wholly-owned subsidiary into its parent; or

(3) a reorganization in the course of which a corporation transfers to another corporation all of its activities referred to in the unrevoked corporation certificate issued to the corporation for the taxation year that includes the time of the transfer, which time is considered to be the time of the reorganization, provided that all the issued shares of each class of shares of the capital stock of each of the two corporations that are parties to the transfer are owned by the same person or are owned by the same group of persons and are distributed among its members in such a manner that the proportion of issued shares of any class of shares of the capital stock of either of the two corporations that are owned by each member is identical to the proportion of issued shares of the corresponding class of shares of the capital stock of the other corporation that are owned by that member.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the fourth paragraph, a corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of another corporation (in this section referred to as the “parent”), if at least 90% of all the issued shares of each class of shares of its capital stock are owned by the parent.

For the purposes of the first paragraph and of section 7.4, either the parent or the other corporation referred to in subparagraph 3 of the fourth paragraph is considered to be the corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization, depending on whether the reorganization is described in subparagraph 2 or 3 of that fourth paragraph.

The corporation certificate held for the reorganization year by the corporation that transferred all its activities referred to in the certificate is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec as of the time of the reorganization. However, this presumption does not apply in respect of the second paragraph.

DIVISION II

CORPORATION CERTIFICATE

7.4. A particular corporation certificate issued to a corporation for a taxation year certifies that at least 75% of the activities carried on by the corporation in the premises it occupies in E-Commerce Place for the year consist in developing and supplying products and services relating to e-business or are activities relating to the operation of e-business solutions. The particular certificate also lists the corporation’s activities that are recognized as such.

If the corporation is a particular corporation referred to in the first paragraph of section 7.3 for the taxation year, the particular certificate must specify the time of the corporate reorganization as well as the names of all other corporations holding a valid corporation certificate for the reorganization year which, at the time of issue, had not been revoked by Investissement Québec. It also specifies, if applicable, for each of the other corporations listed in the certificate that, for a preceding taxation year, was itself a particular corporation referred to in the first paragraph of section 7.3, both the time of the preceding reorganization from which it resulted and the names of all other corporations holding a valid corporation certificate for the year of that preceding reorganization which, at the time of issue, had not been revoked by Investissement Québec.

If part of the premises is not yet available for occupation, the corporation must establish to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that it has entered into a lease to occupy that part of the premises at the earliest date possible. Once that fact is established, the corporation is deemed, for the purposes of the first paragraph, to carry on, in that part of the premises and throughout the period during which it may not occupy it, the activities that it carries on elsewhere and that are listed in the particular certificate.

7.5. Subject to section 7.7, each of the following activities is an activity consisting in developing and supplying products and services relating to e-business:

(1) consulting in information technology or e-business solutions and processes;

(2) the development, integration or implementation of information systems or technology infrastructures;

(3) the design or development of e-commerce solutions;

(4) the development of security services relating to e-commerce activities;

(5) the development of distribution software packages; and

(6) the development of electronic banking relating to e-commerce activities.

7.6. Subject to section 7.7, each of the following activities is an activity relating to the operation of e-business solutions:

(1) the processing of electronic transactions through a transactional website; and

(2) the management, operation, maintenance or evolution of systems, applications or infrastructures, namely,

(a) the management of processing centres relating to e-business,

(b) the management of remote operation centres,

(d) the management of local or wide area networks,

(e) the operation of 24/7 technical assistance services to businesses and customers,

(f) the management of customer service centres deriving from e-commerce activities,

(g) the operation of technological outsourcing services, and

(h) the operation of business process outsourcing services relating to the operation of an e-business solution (back office), or the management of business processes in connection with the internal operation of an e-business solution (internal back office) if those processes involve the centralization, consolidation and coordination of back office activities of the corporation in the same place and if the centralization of the corporation’s business processes allows more than one of its establishments in Québec and elsewhere to be served.

7.7. The following activities are neither activities consisting in developing and supplying products and services relating to e-business, nor activities relating to the operation of e-business solutions:

(1) the repair, maintenance and reconditioning of hardware or equipment;

(2) the manufacturing of machines, instruments, components, parts, hardware or equipment;

(3) the assembly of parts or components, such as the assembly of television sets, computer monitors, calculators or cash registers;

(4) audio or video signal distribution services via television broadcasting, telephony, cable broadcasting, satellites or other cellular networks;

(5) the operation of radio or television broadcasting satellites, studios or networks;

(6) cinematography, including postproduction, and audiovisual production, including television programs, that do not relate to a global e-business solution;

(7) teleconferencing services;

(8) an Internet access service, unless it is provided in the course of supplying an e-business solution;

(9) the publishing of books or newspapers and the production of disks;

(10) training provided by a specialized school or body;

(11) a telemarketing activity;

(12) an activity relating to surveys; and

(13) the business processes relating to human resources management, credit card processing and any activity that does not refer to an e-business activity or to the management, maintenance or evolution of centralized computerized systems or infrastructures.

DIVISION III

EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATE

7.8. An employee certificate issued to a corporation certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation for the taxation year for which the application for the certificate was made or for the part of the year specified in it.

7.9. An individual may be recognized as an eligible employee of a corporation, if

(1) the individual works full-time for the corporation, that is, at least 26 hours per week, for an expected minimum period of 40 weeks;

(2) all or substantially all of the individual’s duties consist in undertaking, supervising or directly supporting work relating to an activity of the corporation referred to in section 7.5 or 7.6; and

(3) the individual performs his or her duties either in the corporation’s premises that are situated in E-Commerce Place, or elsewhere but in connection with contracts attributable to the business carried on by the corporation in those premises.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, an individual’s administrative tasks are not to be considered as part of duties consisting in undertaking, supervising or directly supporting work relating to an activity of the corporation referred to in section 7.5 or 7.6.

In this section, “administrative tasks” include tasks relating to commercialization, operations management, accounting, finance, legal affairs, public relations, communications, contract solicitation, and human and physical resources management.

7.10. The number of employee certificates that Investissement Québec may issue to a corporation for a taxation year may not exceed the result obtained by dividing the total area of the premises occupied by the corporation in E-Commerce Place by the area of the average reasonable space intended for the exclusive use of an individual recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation for the year and that is needed by that individual to perform his or her duties.

The area of the average reasonable space is assessed taking into account the nature of the duties performed and the proportion that, for the same work shift, each type of work station of the corporation for which an employee certificate may be issued is of all such work stations.

7.11. If an individual is temporarily absent from work for reasons it considers reasonable, Investissement Québec may, for the purpose of determining whether the individual meets the conditions for recognition as an eligible employee of a corporation, consider that the individual continued to perform his or her duties throughout the period of absence exactly as he or she was performing them immediately before the beginning of that period.

CHAPTER VIII

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT FOR MAJOR EMPLOYMENT-GENERATING PROJECTS

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

8.1. In this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise,

“eligible contract” of a corporation means a contract that is entered into by the corporation and that is recognized as an eligible contract under a current certificate issued in its respect;

“qualifying period” of a corporation, in relation to a contract, means, depending on whether the first day on which activities in connection with the contract are carried on is or is not prior to 2 January 2007, the 24- or 36-month period that begins

(1) if the corporation certificate in relation to the contract was issued to the corporation after 19 December 2007, on 31 December 2008 or, if it is earlier, on that first day, or

(2) in any other case, on that first day;

“tax credit for major employment-generating projects” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.1.8 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year.

8.2. To benefit from the tax credit for major employment-generating projects, in relation to a particular contract, a corporation must obtain the following certificates from Investissement Québec:

(1) a certificate in respect of the corporation, in relation to the particular contract (in this chapter referred to as a “corporation certificate”);

(2) a certificate in respect of the particular contract (in this chapter referred to as a “contract certificate”); and

(3) a certificate in respect of each individual for whom, in relation to the particular contract, the corporation claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as an “employee certificate”).

Employee certificates must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to benefit from the tax credit. However, Investissement Québec may not issue an employee certificate to a corporation for a taxation year that begins after 31 December 2016.

Investissement Québec may issue a certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 or 2 of the first paragraph to a corporation only if it filed an application for that purpose with Investissement Québec before 1 April 2008.

The revocation by Investissement Québec of a contract certificate in respect of a particular contract entails the revocation of the related corporation certificate. In such a case, the notice of revocation of the contract certificate is considered to be a notice of revocation of the corporation certificate as well.

Investissement Québec may issue an employee certificate to a corporation in relation to a particular contract, for a particular taxation year, only if the corporation certificate held by the corporation, in relation to the contract, is valid for all or part of the particular year.

If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes a corporation certificate issued to a corporation, in relation to a particular contract, any employee certificate issued to the corporation, in relation to the contract, for a taxation year subsequent to the given year that includes the date on which the revocation becomes effective is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at that time. In such a case, the effective date of the deemed revocation is the date of coming into force of the certificate that is deemed to be revoked. The same applies to such an employee certificate issued for the given year, except that the effective date of the deemed revocation is the date specified in the notice of revocation of the corporation certificate.

8.3. If the carrying out of a particular contract devolves on a particular corporation and the particular corporation resulted from a corporate reorganization involving another corporation that held, immediately before the reorganization, in relation to the particular contract, a corporation certificate and a contract certificate that had not been revoked, the following rules apply:

(1) the particular corporation, the other corporation and any other corporation involved in a preceding reorganization, in respect of which this subparagraph applied in relation to the particular contract, are, for the purpose of applying sections 8.5 and 8.16 to those corporations, deemed to be a single corporation, unless their corporation certificate, in relation to the contract, is revoked;

(2) for the purposes of the third paragraph of section 8.2, the particular corporation is deemed to have filed its application for a corporation certificate and a contract certificate, in relation to the particular contract, on or before 31 March 2008; and

(3) for the purposes of subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph of section 8.8, the particular corporation is deemed to have entered into the particular contract before 1 January 2008.

Subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph is deemed to have applied, in relation to the particular contract, before 1 January 2011 in respect of any other corporation involved in a corporate reorganization, if a corporation certificate and a contract certificate, in relation to the contract, were issued to the corporation resulting from the reorganization for a period beginning before that date.

If the reorganization is described in subparagraph 3 of the seventh paragraph, the other corporation must provide to the particular corporation a copy of any certificate, in relation to the particular contract, issued to it by Investissement Québec or, if the other corporation itself resulted from a preceding corporate reorganization, any copy of such a certificate that was provided to it by the other corporation involved in that preceding reorganization.

The corporation certificate and the contract certificate, in relation to the particular contract, held by the other corporation immediately before the reorganization are deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec as of the time of the reorganization. The same applies to any employee certificate held by the corporation for the taxation year that ends immediately before the time of the reorganization or that includes that time.

The corporation certificate issued to the particular corporation, in relation to a particular contract entered into by the particular corporation after 31 December 2007 or following an application it filed after 31 March 2008, is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec as of the date of its coming into force, if, after the time of the corporate reorganization from which it resulted, Investissement Québec revokes any of the following certificates, in relation to the contract:

(1) the corporation certificate issued to another corporation referred to in subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph, following the last application for a corporation certificate that was filed before 1 April 2008;

(2) the corporation certificate issued to any other corporation referred to in that subparagraph 1, following an application filed after 31 March 2008;

(3) the corporation certificate issued to another corporation referred to in that subparagraph 1 that is the last corporation to have entered into the particular contract before 1 January 2008; or

(4) the corporation certificate issued to any other corporation referred to in that subparagraph 1 that entered into the particular contract after 31 December 2007.

The fifth paragraph does not apply if the effective date of the revocation of any of the certificates referred to in subparagraphs 1 to 4 of that paragraph precedes the time of the corporate reorganization in which the other corporation is involved.

In this section, “corporate reorganization” means

(1) an amalgamation of corporations;

(2) the winding-up of a wholly-owned subsidiary into its parent; or

(3) the carrying on, as of a particular time, of a business by a corporation, if the business was, immediately before that time, carried on by another corporation and the other corporation was carrying out, in the course of the business, a contract that was an eligible contract of the other corporation.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the seventh paragraph, a corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of another corporation (in this chapter referred to as the “parent”) if at least 90% of all the issued shares of each class of shares of its capital stock are owned by the parent.

For the purposes of this chapter, either the parent or the corporation described in subparagraph 3 of the seventh paragraph is considered to be the corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization, depending on whether the reorganization is described in subparagraph 2 or 3 of that paragraph.

DIVISION II

CORPORATION CERTIFICATE

8.4. A corporation certificate issued to a corporation, in relation to a particular contract, certifies that the corporation operates in the field of information technologies under the contract. The corporation certificate also confirms that, in the opinion of Investissement Québec, the carrying out of the contract will result in the creation of at least 150 jobs in the 36-month period that is specified in the corporation certificate and that begins on the earlier of

(1) 31 December 2008; and

(2) the date on which activities in connection with the contract are first carried on.

However, if the corporation certificate, in relation to a contract, is issued to a particular corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization described in the seventh paragraph of section 8.3, Investissement Québec must instead specify in the corporation certificate the 24- or 36-month period that applied to the other corporation involved in the reorganization, in relation to the contract.

8.5. Investissement Québec is justified in revoking a corporation certificate, in relation to a particular contract, issued to a corporation, if it is evident, at the end of the corporation’s qualifying period in relation to the contract, that the number of jobs created, during that period, because of the carrying out of the contract, did not exceed 149 at any time. The effective date of the revocation is the date of coming into force of the corporation certificate.

If a corporation certificate, in relation to a particular contract, issued to a corporation is revoked at a particular time by Investissement Québec under the first paragraph, the contract certificate in respect of the contract and any employee certificate, in relation to the contract, issued to the corporation are deemed to be revoked at that time by Investissement Québec. The effective date of each deemed revocation is the date of coming into force of the certificate that is deemed to be revoked.

8.6. To determine whether a corporation meets the job creation requirement to which sections 8.4 and 8.5 refer, in relation to a particular contract, Investissement Québec must only count the number of jobs created each of which is held by an individual in respect of whom an employee certificate has been issued to the corporation, in relation to the contract.

However, the first paragraph applies with reference to the following rules:

(1) if an employee certificate in respect of an individual could be issued to the corporation, in relation to the particular contract, but for section 8.18, Investissement Québec may count the job held by the individual; and

(2) if, in any period, the corporation carries out two or more particular contracts that are eligible contracts of the corporation and two or more employee certificates are issued to it in respect of the same individual who works for the corporation, in relation to the particular contracts, Investissement Québec may only count the job held by the individual in relation to one of those contracts.

DIVISION III

CONTRACT CERTIFICATE

8.7. A contract certificate issued to a corporation certifies that the contract referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible contract. It also lists the activities carried on under the contract.

8.8. A contract entered into by a corporation may be recognized as an eligible contract, if

(1) the contract is entered into after 31 December 2004 and before 1 January 2008;

(2) the activities carried on under the contract consist in

(a) developing and supplying products and services relating to e-business;

(b) activities relating to the operation of e-business solutions; or

(c) activities of a customer relations centre that provides support, at a transactional level, to a sales and marketing service and whose technological environment uses various media in the context of technological convergence in computer telephony;

(3) the majority of the activities carried on under the contract are not activities in respect of which the corporation avails itself of a fiscal measure referred to in another chapter of this schedule; and

(4) subject to the second paragraph, the contract is not a subcontract entered into with a person or partnership with whom the corporation is not dealing at arm’s length.

Subparagraph 4 of the first paragraph does not apply if

(1) the corporation establishes to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that the contract relates to services that are ultimately provided to a customer who is a person or partnership with whom the corporation is dealing at arm’s length and that relate to a business all or substantially all of which is carried on outside Québec by the customer; and

(2) the activity subcontracted to the corporation under the contract was not carried on in Québec before the contract was entered into.

8.9. Subject to section 8.12, each of the following activities consist in developing and supplying products and services relating to e-business:

(1) consulting in information technology or e-business solutions and processes;

(2) the development, integration or implementation of information systems or technology infrastructures;

(3) the design or development of e-commerce solutions;

(4) the development of security services relating to e-commerce activities;

(5) the development of distribution software packages; and

(6) the development of electronic banking relating to e-commerce activities.

8.10. Subject to section 8.12, each of the following activities is an activity relating to the operation of e-business solutions:

(1) the processing of electronic transactions through a transactional website; and

(2) the management, operation, maintenance or evolution of systems, applications or infrastructures, namely,

(a) the management of processing centres relating to e-business,

(b) the management of remote operation centres,

(d) the management of local or wide area networks,

(e) the operation of technological outsourcing services, and

(f) the operation of business process outsourcing services relating to the operation of an e-business solution (back office), or the management of business processes in connection with the internal operation of an e-business solution (internal back office) if those processes involve the centralization, consolidation and coordination of back office activities of the corporation in the same place and if the centralization of the corporation’s business processes allows more than one of its establishments in Québec and elsewhere to be served.

8.11. Subject to the second paragraph and section 8.12, each of the following activities is an activity related to the operation of a customer relations centre:

(1) e-commerce customer relations management, if the products sold are related to information technologies;

(2) technical assistance to businesses and customers (help desk) related to the use of an e-business solution or of a product that supports such a solution, provided such assistance relates to the technical aspects of the product; and

(3) customer service directly related to the use of an e-commerce solution.

An activity described in the first paragraph is considered to be an activity related to the operation of a corporation’s customer relations centre only if

(1) the corporation carries on activities consisting mostly in dealing with incoming calls, unless the corporation provides e-commerce customer relations management services;

(2) the corporation carries on activities in a specialized field and its employees have specialized training; and

(3) the corporation’s technological environment uses various media, allowing for the convergence of new technologies.

An activity described in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph does not include the management of subscriptions to a cellular telephony service, such as the management of plan changes and the management of the warranties of a product that supports an e-business solution.

8.12. The following activities are neither activities consisting in developing and supplying products and services relating to e-business, nor activities related to the operation of e-business solutions, nor activities related to the operation of a customer relations centre:

(1) the installation, repair, maintenance and reconditioning of hardware or equipment;

(2) the manufacturing of machines, instruments, components, parts, hardware or equipment;

(3) the assembly of parts or components, such as the assembly of television sets, computer monitors, calculators or cash registers;

(4) traditional audio or video signal distribution services via television broadcasting, telephony, cable broadcasting, satellites or other cellular networks that do not support e-business solutions;

(5) the operation of radio or television broadcasting satellites, studios or networks;

(6) cinematography, including postproduction, and audiovisual production, including television programs, that do not relate to a global e-business solution;

(7) teleconferencing services;

(8) the publishing of books or newspapers, and the production of disks, with a view to commercializing, promoting and financing applications;

(9) training provided by a specialized school or body;

(10) a telemarketing activity;

(11) an activity relating to surveys; and

(12) the business processes relating to human resources management, credit card processing and any activity that does not refer to an e-business activity or to the management, maintenance or evolution of centralized computerized systems or infrastructures.

DIVISION IV

EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATE

8.13. An employee certificate issued to a corporation, in relation to a particular contract, certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation, in relation to the contract, for the taxation year for which the application for the certificate was made or for the part of the year specified in it.

8.14. An individual may be recognized as an eligible employee of a corporation, in relation to a particular contract, if

(1) the individual works full-time for the corporation, that is, at least 26 hours per week, for an expected minimum period of 40 weeks;

(2) at least 75% of the individual’s duties consist in undertaking, supervising or directly supporting activities carried on under one or more eligible contracts of the corporation; and

(3) the particular contract is an eligible contract referred to in subparagraph 2.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, an individual’s administrative tasks are not to be considered as part of duties consisting in undertaking, supervising or directly supporting activities carried on under an eligible contract of the corporation.

8.15. If an individual is temporarily absent from work for reasons it considers reasonable, Investissement Québec may, for the purpose of determining whether the individual meets the conditions for recognition as an eligible employee of a corporation, consider that the individual continued to perform his or her duties throughout the period of absence exactly as he or she was performing them immediately before the beginning of that period.

8.16. Investissement Québec may not, for a particular period, issue any employee certificate to a corporation, in relation to a particular contract if, during that particular period, which is included in the job maintenance period, in relation to the contract, determined in accordance with the second paragraph, the corporation does not maintain at least 150 jobs that relate to the activities carried on under the contract.

The job maintenance period, in relation to a particular contract entered into by a corporation, is the period beginning on the last day, included in the corporation’s qualifying period, in relation to the contract, where at least 150 jobs created by the corporation during the qualifying period were held by individuals whose duties with the corporation were related to the activities carried on under the contract, and ending

(1) where a reduced activity period is determined in accordance with the third paragraph, in relation to the particular contract, on the day that precedes the day on which the reduced activity period begins; and

(2) in any other case, on the last day during which the corporation carried on activities under the particular contract.

Subject to the fourth paragraph, a corporation’s reduced activity period, in relation to a particular contract, is

(1) where the contract has an expected term of four years or less, the period, if any, not exceeding six months that ends on the day specified in the particular contract as the last day for its carrying out and that begins after the end of the corporation’s qualifying period in relation to the contract; and

(2) in any other case, the 12-month period ending on

(a) 31 December 2016, if the particular contract has an indefinite term, or

(b) the day specified in the particular contract as the last day for its carrying out, if it has a set term.

However, no reduced activity period is determined, in relation to a particular contract entered into by a corporation, if the corporation failed to maintain at least 150 jobs that relate to the activities carried on under the contract, for at least half of the 12-month period ending on the day preceding the day on which the reduced activity period, in relation to the contract, would otherwise have begun. The same applies if, before the day on which the reduced activity period would otherwise have begun, the corporation prematurely terminates the carrying out of the particular contract before 1 January 2017, either because the corporation has been placed under a receiving order issued under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. B-3) or has made an assignment of property under that Act, or by reason of superior force or any other event that affected it.

8.17. In determining the number of jobs that relate to the carrying on of activities under a particular contract, Investissement Québec must only count the number of jobs each of which is held by an individual who meets the conditions of section 8.14, in relation to the contract, for recognition as an eligible employee of the corporation. However, if the corporation carries out, in any period, two or more particular contracts that are eligible contracts of the corporation and an individual who works for it meets the conditions of section 8.14 in relation to those particular contracts, Investissement Québec may only count the job held by the individual in relation to one of those contracts.

8.18. Investissement Québec may not issue an employee certificate in respect of an individual to a corporation for a taxation year or part of the taxation year, if such a certificate in respect of the individual has been issued, for the same year or part of year, under another chapter of this schedule.

CHAPTER IX

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX HOLIDAYS AND TAX CREDITS TO FOSTER DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ECONOMY

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

9.1. In this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise,

“biotechnology development centre” means a set of buildings or parts of a building each of which meets the following conditions:

(1) it has been designated as forming part of one of the centres mentioned in the first paragraph of section 9.5 either by Investissement Québec after 31 December 2010 under that paragraph, or by Investissement Québec or the Minister of Finance before 1 January 2011;

(2) the designation has not been cancelled; and

(3) it is located at one of the addresses mentioned in respect of that centre in the third paragraph of section 9.5;

“Centre national des nouvelles technologies de Québec” means all of the buildings and parts of a building each of which is located at one of the addresses mentioned in the third paragraph of section 9.7 and meets the following conditions:

(1) it was designated as forming part of that centre either by Investissement Québec after 31 December 2010 under the first paragraph of section 9.7, or by Investissement Québec or the Minister of Finance before 1 January 2011; and

(2) the designation has not been cancelled;

“Cité du multimédia” means all of the buildings each of which is located in Montréal at

(1) 711 or 731, rue de la Commune;

(2) 10 or 111, rue Duke;

(3) 33 or 87, rue Prince;

(4) 50, 75 or 80, rue Queen; or

(5) 700, rue Wellington;

“designated site” means

(1) a biotechnology development centre;

(2) a new economy centre;

(3) the Centre national des nouvelles technologies de Québec; or

(4) the Cité du multimédia;

“fiscal measure relating to an innovative project” means any of the following fiscal measures that a corporation holding a certificate for carrying on a business in a qualified centre referred to in the first paragraph of section 9.2 may benefit from:

(1) a tax credit on qualified wages;

(2) a tax credit relating to the acquisition or rental of property;

(3) a tax credit relating to the rental of an eligible facility;

(4) the fiscal measure provided for in sections 771, 771.1.1, 771.8.5, 771.12 and 771.13 of the Taxation Act, which allows the corporation to deduct an amount under subparagraphs i to iii of paragraph j of subsection 1 of section 771 of that Act in computing its tax payable for a taxation year under Part I of that Act;

(5) the fiscal measure provided for in section 1138.2.1 of the Taxation Act, under which the corporation may deduct an amount in computing its paid-up capital for a taxation year; and

(6) the fiscal measure provided for in sections 33 and 34 of the Act respecting the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec, which allows the corporation to obtain a contribution exemption under subparagraphs a and a.1 of the seventh paragraph of section 34 of that Act;

“information technology development centre” means one or more of the following buildings or parts of a building:

(1) in the case of the centre in Gatineau, the buildings located at 200, rue Montcalm and at 490, boulevard Saint-Joseph;

(2) in the case of the centre in Laval, the building located at 440, boulevard Armand-Frappier;

(3) in the case of the centre in Montréal, all of the buildings or parts of a building designated by the Minister of Finance as forming part of the centre, each of which is located at one of the addresses mentioned in the definition of “Cité du multimédia” ;

(4) in the case of the centre in Québec, all of the buildings or parts of a building designated by the Minister of Finance as forming part of the centre, each of which is located at one of the addresses mentioned in the third paragraph of section 9.7; and

(5) in the case of the centre in Sherbrooke, the buildings located at 740, rue Galt Ouest and at 2424, rue King Ouest;

“new economy centre” means a set of buildings or parts of a building each of which meets the following conditions:

(1) it was designated as forming part of one of the centres listed in the second paragraph of section 9.6 either by Investissement Québec after 31 December 2010 under the first paragraph of that section, or by Investissement Québec or the Minister of Finance before 1 January 2011; and

(2) the designation has not been cancelled;

“qualified centre” means

(1) a biotechnology development centre;

(2) an information technology development centre; or

(3) a new economy centre;

“tax credit on qualified wages” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.3 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, which allows a corporation carrying on its business in a qualified centre to be deemed under section 1029.8.36.0.19, 1029.8.36.0.20 or 1029.8.36.0.30 of that division to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year;

“tax credit on specified wages” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.3 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, which allows a corporation carrying on its business in a designated site to be deemed under section 1029.8.36.0.22 or 1029.8.36.0.31 of that division to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year;

“tax credit relating to the acquisition or rental of property” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.3 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, which allows a corporation carrying on a business in a qualified centre to be deemed under section 1029.8.36.0.25 or 1029.8.36.0.32 of that division to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year;

“tax credit relating to the new economy” means a fiscal measure that a corporation holding a certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph of section 9.3 may benefit from and that is

(1) if the corporation carries on a business in a biotechnology development centre, any of the following fiscal measures:

(a) a tax credit on specified wages,

(b) a tax credit relating to the acquisition or rental of property, and

(2) in any other case, a tax credit on specified wages;

“tax credit relating to the rental of an eligible facility” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.3 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, which allows a corporation carrying on a business in a biotechnology development centre to be deemed under section 1029.8.36.0.25.1 or 1029.8.36.0.32.1 of that division to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year.

9.2. To benefit from a fiscal measure relating to an innovative project, a corporation must hold a valid certificate for carrying on a business in a qualified centre (in this chapter referred to as an “exempt corporation certificate”). In the case of the tax credit relating to the acquisition or rental of property, the corporation must also hold a valid certificate in respect of each property for which it claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as a “property certificate”).

If the fiscal measure is the tax credit on qualified wages, the corporation must obtain a certificate from Investissement Québec in respect of each individual for whom it claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as an “eligible employee certificate”). Such certificates must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to claim the tax credit.

If the corporation carries on a business in a biotechnology development centre, the corporation must, to benefit from the tax credit relating to the rental of an eligible facility, obtain from the person who owns the facility, in relation to the centre, for which the corporation claims the tax credit a copy of the certificate relating to the facility that the person obtained from Investissement Québec (in this chapter referred to as a “facility certificate”).

However, Investissement Québec may not, for a particular taxation year, issue a certificate referred to in the second paragraph to a corporation unless, at the time the certificate is to be issued, the exempt corporation certificate held by the corporation is still valid or the date of coming into force of its revocation is subsequent to the first day of the particular taxation year.

9.3. To benefit from a tax credit relating to the new economy, a corporation must obtain the following certificates from Investissement Québec:

(1) a certificate for carrying out an activity that relates to the new economy in a designated site (in this chapter referred to as a “specified corporation certificate”); and

(2) a certificate in respect of its activities that relate to the new economy, in relation to a designated site in which it carries on a business (in this chapter referred to as an “activities certificate”).

Depending on which tax credit relating to the new economy the corporation intends to benefit from, the corporation must obtain one or more of the following certificates from Investissement Québec:

(1) in the case of the tax credit on specified wages, a certificate in respect of each individual for whom the corporation claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as a “specified employee certificate”); and

(2) if the corporation carries on a business in a biotechnology development centre and the tax credit concerned is the tax credit relating to the acquisition or rental of property, a property certificate in respect of each property for which the corporation claims the tax credit.

The certificates referred to in the first paragraph must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to claim a tax credit relating to the new economy. Similarly, the certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to benefit from the tax credit in respect of wages that relates to the new economy.

However, Investissement Québec may not, for a particular taxation year, issue a certificate referred to in the first paragraph and subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph to a corporation that holds an exempt corporation certificate issued following an application filed on or before 11 June 2003 and, after that date, either was entitled to obtain a specified corporation certificate because of subparagraph f of the first paragraph of section 771.13 of the Taxation Act or elected to become a corporation holding such a certificate, unless

(1) a specified corporation certificate was issued to the corporation for the preceding taxation year that is the particular year referred to in the seventh paragraph of section 9.25 or the year for which it made the election, as the case may be;

(2) a specified corporation certificate was issued to the corporation for each taxation year that is between that preceding year and the particular year; and

(3) at the time the certificates are to be issued for the particular year, none of the following certificates have been revoked:

(a) the exempt corporation certificate; and

(b) the certificates referred to in subparagraphs 1 and 2.

Similarly, Investissement Québec may not, for a particular taxation year, issue a certificate referred to in the first paragraph and subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph to a corporation that is not referred to in the fourth paragraph, unless

(1) a specified corporation certificate was issued to the corporation for the most recent preceding taxation year for which the corporation filed a written application for that purpose before 12 June 2003;

(2) a specified corporation certificate was issued to the corporation for each taxation year that is between that preceding year and the particular year; and

(3) at the time the certificates are to be issued for the particular year, none of the certificates referred to in subparagraphs 1 and 2 have been revoked.

If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes the exempt corporation certificate issued to the corporation referred to in the fourth paragraph, any certificate referred to in the first paragraph and subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph issued to the corporation for a taxation year following an application filed after 11 June 2003 is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at that time. If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes a specified corporation certificate issued to the corporation referred to in the fourth or fifth paragraph for a given taxation year that, if the corporation is referred to in the fifth paragraph, does not precede the taxation year referred to in subparagraph 1 of that paragraph, the same applies in respect of any certificate issued to the corporation for a taxation year following the given year. In such cases, the effective date of the deemed revocation is the date of coming into force of the certificate that is deemed to be revoked. Any specified employee certificate and any activities certificate issued for the given year are also deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at that time, except that the effective date of their deemed revocation is the date specified in the notice of revocation of the specified corporation certificate.

The revocation by Investissement Québec of the exempt corporation certificate issued to a corporation gives rise to the application of the presumption in the sixth paragraph only if the date on which the revocation becomes effective precedes the date of coming into force of the election referred to in the fourth paragraph.

If the corporation carries on a business in a biotechnology development centre, the sixth paragraph applies only in respect of a certificate issued to it for a taxation year that begins before 31 March 2004 whose date of coming into force precedes that date. The same applies to the fourth and fifth paragraphs, which only operate for the purposes of the sixth paragraph. However, when the sixth paragraph applies to a taxation year that includes 31 March 2004, it is to be read as follows:

“If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes the exempt corporation certificate issued to the corporation referred to in the fourth paragraph, any certificate referred to in the first paragraph and subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph issued to the corporation for the taxation year that includes 31 March 2004 is deemed to be amended by Investissement Québec at that time to replace the date of its coming into force by 31 March 2004. If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes a specified corporation certificate issued to the corporation referred to in the fourth or fifth paragraph for a given taxation year that, if the corporation is referred to in the fifth paragraph, does not precede the taxation year referred to in subparagraph 1 of that paragraph, the same applies in respect of any certificate issued to the corporation for the taxation year that is subsequent to the given year and includes 31 March 2004.”

To benefit from the tax credit relating to the rental of an eligible facility, the corporation carrying on a business in a biotechnology development centre must obtain from the person who owns the facility for which the corporation claims the tax credit a copy of the facility certificate that the person obtained from Investissement Québec in respect of the facility.

9.4. For the purpose of applying, for a particular taxation year, the fourth or fifth paragraph of section 9.3 in respect of a particular corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization involving at least one other corporation that held a valid specified corporation certificate for its taxation year that ended immediately before the time of the reorganization or included that time (in this section and in section 9.25 referred to as the “reorganization year”), one or more of the following presumptions apply, as the case may be:

(1) where the other corporation or, if there are more than one, any of the other corporations is referred to in the fourth paragraph of section 9.3 or is deemed to hold an exempt corporation certificate because of the application of this subparagraph, the exempt corporation certificate held or deemed to be held by that corporation is, subject to the third paragraph, deemed to be held by the particular corporation, and each of the specified corporation certificates that were issued to it or are deemed to have been issued to it because of the application of this subparagraph is, subject to the third paragraph, deemed to have been issued to the particular corporation;

(2) where subparagraph 1 does not apply in respect of the other corporation or, if there are more than one, in respect of any of the other corporations, any specified corporation certificate that was issued to the corporation for any of its taxation years that is the reorganization year, the year referred to in subparagraph 1 of the fifth paragraph of section 9.3 or a year between those two taxation years, or that is deemed to have been issued to the corporation for such a year because of the application of this subparagraph, is, subject to the third paragraph, deemed to have been issued to the particular corporation for the same taxation year.

The first paragraph is deemed to have applied before 1 January 2011 in respect of any other corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization, if a specified corporation certificate was issued to that other corporation before that date.

If the exempt corporation certificate held by a given corporation, or a specified corporation certificate issued to it that would otherwise be referred to in the first paragraph is revoked by Investissement Québec, one of the following rules applies, as the case may be:

(1) in the case of the revocation of the exempt corporation certificate, neither that certificate nor any of the specified corporation certificates issued to the given corporation is deemed to be held by, or to have been issued to, the particular corporation under subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph;

(2) in the case of the revocation of a specified corporation certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph, neither the exempt corporation certificate held or deemed to be held by the given corporation, nor any of the specified corporation certificates that were issued or are deemed to have been issued to it is deemed to be held by, or to have been issued to, the particular corporation under that subparagraph 1;

(3) in the case of the revocation of a specified corporation certificate referred to in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, none of the specified corporation certificates that were issued or are deemed to have been issued to the given corporation are deemed to have been issued to the particular corporation under that subparagraph 2.

However, the revocation by Investissement Québec of the exempt corporation certificate held by a given corporation gives rise to the application of the third paragraph only if the effective date of the revocation precedes the date of the acquisition of control referred to in the seventh paragraph of section 9.25 or before the date of coming into force of the election referred to in the fourth paragraph of section 9.3.

If, at a particular time, because of the application of the third paragraph, the particular corporation can no longer meet, for a particular taxation year, neither the conditions of subparagraphs 1 and 2 of the fourth paragraph of section 9.3 nor the conditions of subparagraphs 1 and 2 of the fifth paragraph of that section, any certificate described in the first paragraph of section 9.3 or in subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph of that section that was issued to it is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at that time. In such a case, the effective date of the deemed revocation is the date of coming into force of the certificate that is deemed to be revoked.

In this section and in section 9.25, “corporate reorganization” means

(1) an amalgamation of corporations;

(2) the winding-up of a wholly-owned subsidiary into its parent; or

(3) a reorganization in the course of which a corporation transfers to another corporation all of its activities referred to in the unrevoked activities certificate issued to the corporation for the taxation year that includes the time of the transfer, which time is considered to be the time of the reorganization, provided that all the issued shares of each class of shares of the capital stock of each of the two corporations that are parties to the transfer are owned by the same person or are owned by the same group of persons and are distributed among its members in such a manner that the proportion of issued shares of any class of shares of the capital stock of either of the two corporations that are owned by each member is identical to the proportion of issued shares of the corresponding class of shares of the capital stock of the other corporation that are owned by that member.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the sixth paragraph, a corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of another corporation (in this section referred to as the “parent”), if at least 90% of all the issued shares of each class of shares of its capital stock are owned by the parent.

For the purposes of this section and of section 9.25, either the parent or the other corporation referred to in subparagraph 3 of the sixth paragraph is considered to be the corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization, depending on whether the reorganization is described in subparagraph 2 or 3 of that sixth paragraph.

The specified corporation certificate held for the reorganization year by the corporation that transferred all its activities referred to in the valid activities certificate it holds for the same year is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec as of the time of the reorganization. However, this presumption does not apply in respect of the third paragraph.

DIVISION II

DESIGNATION OF QUALIFIED CENTRE OR DESIGNATED SITE

9.5. Subject to the second paragraph, Investissement Québec may designate a building or part of a building as forming part of one of the following centres, provided that it is located at the address or at one of the addresses mentioned in the third paragraph for each of those centres:

(1) the Centre de développement des biotechnologies de Laval;

(2) the Centre de développement des biotechnologies de Lévis;

(3) the Centre de développement des biotechnologies de Saint-Hyacinthe; and

(4) the Centre de développement des biotechnologies de Sherbrooke.

Investissement Québec may determine the maximum area of a biotechnology development centre. However, the total area of all the centres may not exceed 29,120 m2 at any time.

The address or addresses of the biotechnology development centres are:

(1) for the centre in Laval, 500, boulevard Cartier Ouest;

(2) for the centre in Lévis, 205, route Monseigneur-Bourget;

(3) for the centre in Saint-Hyacinthe, 3405, rue Casavant Ouest and 4375, avenue Beaudry; and

(4) for the centre in Sherbrooke, 3201, rue Jean-Mignault and 1580, rue Ida-Métivier.

9.6. Investissement Québec may designate a building or part of a building as forming part of a new economy centre. However, the designated maximum area may not exceed 130,000 m2 for the whole of Québec at any time.

The following, listed by administrative region, are the new economy centres that have been designated:

(1) for the Bas-Saint-Laurent region,

(a) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de La Pocatière,

(b) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Matane,

(d) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Rivière-du-Loup;

(2) for the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region,

(a) the Centre de la nouvelle économie d’Alma,

(b) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Chicoutimi,

(d) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de La Baie, and

(e) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Saint-Félicien;

(3) for the Capitale-Nationale region, the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Pont-Rouge;

(4) for the Mauricie region,

(a) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Grand-Mère,

(b) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Shawinigan, and

(5) for the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Rouyn-Noranda;

(6) for the Côte-Nord region,

(a) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Baie-Comeau, and

(b) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Sept-Îles;

(7) for the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region,

(a) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Caplan, and

(b) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Gaspé;

(8) for the Chaudière-Appalaches region,

(a) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Lévis,

(b) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Saint-Georges, and

(9) for the Lanaudière region, the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Lachenaie;

(10) for the Laurentides region,

(a) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Boisbriand,

(b) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Lachute, and

(11) for the Montérégie region,

(a) the Centre de la nouvelle économie d’Acton Vale,

(b) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Bromont,

(d) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Mont-Saint-Hilaire,

(e) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Saint-Hyacinthe,

(f) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu,

(g) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Saint-Joseph-de-Sorel,

(h) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, and

(i) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Varennes; and

(12) for the Centre-du-Québec region,

(a) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Bécancour,

(b) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Drummondville,

(d) the Centre de la nouvelle économie de Victoriaville.

9.7. Investissement Québec may designate a building or part of a building as forming part of the Centre national des nouvelles technologies de Québec, provided that it is located at one of the addresses mentioned in the third paragraph. However, the designated maximum area may not exceed 47,900 m2 at any time.

For the purposes of the first paragraph, the 10,700-square-metre area that is attributable to the Centre de développement des technologies de l’information de Québec must not be taken into account in calculating the maximum area.

The addresses of the buildings or parts of a building that may form part of the Centre national des nouvelles technologies de Québec are the following:

(1) 350, 390, 410, 420, 570, 585, 600, 680, 750 and 820, boulevard Charest Est;

(2) 400, boulevard Jean-Lesage;

(3) 779, rue Saint-François;

(4) 335, 337, 575, 633, 683, 690, 726, 770 and 771, rue Saint-Joseph Est; and

(5) 330 and 390, rue Saint-Vallier Est.

9.8. Investissement Québec may, in relation to a designation provided for in this division, enter into an agreement with any person who owns a building included in whole or in part in a qualified centre or a designated site. It may also amend such an agreement. In addition, it is deemed to be a party to any such agreement to which the Minister of Finance is a party.

9.9. The power of Investissement Québec under this division to designate buildings or parts of a building as forming part of certain qualified centres or certain designated sites includes the power to cancel such a designation by Investissement Québec or by the Minister of Finance.

DIVISION III

EXEMPT CORPORATION CERTIFICATE

9.10. An exempt corporation certificate held by a corporation certifies that the business that the corporation declares it is carrying on is an innovative project carried out in a qualified centre.

If part of the corporation’s premises that are located in the qualified centre is not yet available for occupation, the corporation must establish to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that it has entered into a lease to occupy that part of the premises at the earliest date possible. Once that fact is established, the corporation is deemed, for the purposes of the first paragraph, to carry out, in that part of the premises and throughout the period during which it may not occupy it, the portion of the innovative project the corporation carries out elsewhere in Québec.

The parameters provided for in this division are administered by Investissement Québec only within the scope of its powers of amendment and revocation.

9.11. To be considered an innovative project, a business must,

(1) if it is carried on in an information technology development centre or in a new economy centre, meet the following criteria:

(a) be a project in the information technology sector,

(b) include planned investigation for the purpose of acquiring new technical or scientific knowledge, or consist in work to translate research discoveries or other knowledge into applications, prior to commercial production, and

(c) have as purpose the development of a product, service or production or manufacturing process which, at the time the application for the exempt corporation certificate is filed,

i. does not exist in Québec in the form described in the business plan,

ii. has not generated income other than income incidental to its development, and

iii. is a product, service or process whose development requires specialized skills in an emerging sector; or

(2) if it is carried on in a biotechnology development centre, meet the following criteria:

(a) belong to any segment of the biotechnology sector, including human health, animal or plant agrobiotechnology, the environment, and human or animal nutrition,

(b) be in a start-up or development phase,

(c) have as purpose the discovery of a substance or the invention, improvement or development of a product, compound or process presenting a competitive advantage in Québec, and

(d) require specialized skills in a scientific or technological field whose development in Québec is considered strategic for research, development or valorization activities.

DIVISION IV

ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATE

9.12. An eligible employee certificate issued to a corporation certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation for the taxation year for which the application for the certificate was made or for the part of the year specified in it.

9.13. An individual may be recognized as an eligible employee of a corporation if

(1) the individual works full time for the corporation, that is, at least 26 hours per week, for an expected minimum period of 40 weeks;

(2) the individual’s work for the corporation allows him or her to acquire specialized skills in an emerging sector of activity;

(3) the individual performs his or her duties mainly in the qualified centre where the corporation carries on a business; and

(4) the individual is working exclusively or almost exclusively on an innovative project for which the corporation holds an exempt corporation certificate.

For the purposes of subparagraph 4 of the first paragraph, the time spent by an individual on the performance of administrative tasks is not considered to be spent on the innovative project.

In this section, “administrative tasks” include tasks relating to commercialization, accounting, communications, clerical support, human resources management, implementation of technology on a customer’s premises, contract solicitation, general, legal or financial services, and customer service.

9.14. For the purposes of subparagraph 3 of the first paragraph of section 9.13, an individual who works for a corporation is deemed to perform his or her duties in the qualified centre where the corporation carries on business during the period in which the individual receives refresher training outside the centre, provided all the conditions of that section are otherwise met and the individual receives his or her usual remuneration during that period.

If the qualified centre is a biotechnology development centre, the individual is deemed to perform his or her duties in the centre when using a person’s specialized facility, in relation to the centre, that the corporation is renting in the course of carrying on a business.

The individual is deemed to perform his or her duties in the qualified centre when performing them elsewhere in Québec because part of the corporation’s premises located in the centre is not available for occupation. In such a case, the presumption applies only for the period referred to in the second paragraph of section 9.10 and only if the evidence required by that paragraph is provided to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction.

9.15. The number of eligible employee certificates that Investissement Québec may issue to a corporation for a taxation year, in respect of a qualified centre where it carries on a business, may not exceed the result obtained by dividing the total area of the premises occupied by the corporation in the qualified centre by the area of the average reasonable space intended for the exclusive use of an individual recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation for the year and that is needed by that individual to perform his or her duties.

The area of the average reasonable space is assessed taking into account the nature of the duties performed and the proportion that, for the same work shift, each type of work station of the corporation for which an eligible employee certificate may be issued is of all such work stations.

9.16. If an individual is temporarily absent from work for reasons it considers reasonable, Investissement Québec may, for the purpose of determining whether the individual meets the conditions for recognition as an eligible employee of a corporation, consider that the individual continued to work and to perform his or her duties throughout the period of absence exactly as he or she was performing them immediately before the beginning of that period.

DIVISION V

PROPERTY CERTIFICATE

9.17. A property certificate certifies that the property referred to in the certificate is,

(1) where the certificate is issued to a corporation holding a specified corporation certificate and carrying on a business in a biotechnology development centre, a specialized property that relates to an activity related to biotechnologies mentioned in the valid activities certificate held by the corporation in relation to the centre; or

(2) where the certificate is held by a corporation which, at the time of the application for the certificate, held, or met the conditions to obtain, an exempt corporation certificate, a specialized property that relates to the innovative project carried out by the corporation.

If the certificate is described in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, Investissement Québec takes into account the criteria provided for in that subparagraph only in exercising its powers of amendment and revocation.

9.18. Investissement Québec may not issue a property certificate in respect of incorporeal property (other than specialized application software or system software), inventory, property consumed in connection with an activity related to biotechnologies, promotional material, furniture or general use equipment.

As regards a certificate described in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph of section 9.17, the first paragraph applies only within the scope of the power of revocation of Investissement Québec. For that purpose, that paragraph is to be read as if “in connection with an activity related to biotechnologies” was replaced by “in connection with the carrying out of the innovative project”.

9.19. If a corporation holding a valid specified corporation certificate and carrying on business in a biotechnology development centre holds a property certificate described in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph of section 9.17, what is certified in the certificate is deemed to remain valid if the property referred to in the certificate relates to an activity related to biotechnologies mentioned in the valid activities certificate held by the corporation in relation to the centre.

DIVISION VI

FACILITY CERTIFICATE

9.20. A facility certificate issued to a person certifies that the facility referred to in the certificate and owned by the person is recognized as an eligible facility in relation to a biotechnology development centre.

9.21. No facility certificate may be issued to a person in respect of a facility owned by the person unless the person submits to Investissement Québec, with the certificate application, a rate schedule specifying the various rental fees charged for using the facility.

A person who owns a facility and amends the related rate schedule must diligently submit the amended rate schedule to Investissement Québec. If the person fails to comply with this requirement, Investissement Québec may revoke the certificate issued to the person in respect of the facility as of the date on which the rate schedule is amended.

9.22. A facility may be recognized as an eligible facility in relation to a biotechnology development centre, if

(1) it is a facility described in section 9.23 in relation to the centre; and

(2) the rate schedule sent to Investissement Québec in respect of the facility provides for rental fees that are reasonable in the circumstances.

9.23. Only the following facilities may be recognized as eligible facilities in relation to a biotechnology development centre:

(1) a person’s facility that is set up by the person in the biotechnology development centre outside the premises occupied by a corporation holding a specified corporation certificate or an exempt corporation certificate, and comprises exclusively or almost exclusively properties each of which

(a) is a specialized property used in the field of biotechnology;

(b) before being placed in the biotechnology development centre, has not been used for any purpose, nor acquired to be used for a purpose other than its rental; and

(2) a facility used in the field of biotechnology that is,

(a) if the biotechnology development centre is the one in Laval,

i. a specialized facility of the Centre québécois d’innovation en biotechnologie that is located in that biotechnology development centre, or

ii. a specialized facility of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) that is located in the Cité de la biotechnologie et de la santé humaine du Montréal Métropolitain;

(b) if the biotechnology development centre is the one in Lévis,

i. the chemistry and biology laboratories of the chemistry and biology department of the Cégep de Lévis-Lauzon that are located in Lévis, or

ii. a specialized facility of TRANS BIO TECH Centre collégial de transfert en biotechnologies that is located in Lévis;

i. a specialized facility of the Centre de recherche et de développement des aliments that is located in Saint-Hyacinthe,

ii. a specialized facility of Cintech agroalimentaire that is located in Saint-Hyacinthe, or

iii. a specialized facility of the Institut de biotechnologie vétérinaire et alimentaire (IBVA) that is located in Saint-Hyacinthe; or

(d) if the biotechnology development centre is the one in Sherbrooke,

i. a specialized facility of the Centre de recherche clinique of the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke that is located on the premises of the hospital centre, or

ii. a specialized facility of the faculty of medicine of the Université de Sherbrooke that is located on the Campus de la santé of the university.

For the purposes of this section, “Cité de la biotechnologie et de la santé humaine du Montréal métropolitain” means a site located in the territory of Ville de Laval and established by the Minister of Finance as the Cité de la biotechnologie et de la santé humaine du Montréal métropolitain.

9.24. The person who owns a facility and rents it to a corporation holding a valid exempt corporation certificate or a valid specified corporation certificate must give the corporation a copy of the facility certificate issued to the person in respect of the facility, as well as a copy of the current rate schedule in respect of the facility.

DIVISION VII

SPECIFIED CORPORATION CERTIFICATE

9.25. A particular specified corporation certificate issued to a corporation for a taxation year certifies that the corporation is carrying out in the year, in a designated site that is specified in the certificate, an activity that is listed in the activities certificate issued to it for the year in relation to the site.

If the corporation is a particular corporation referred to in the first paragraph of section 9.4 for the taxation year, the particular certificate must specify the time of the corporate reorganization, as well as the names of all other corporations holding a specified corporation certificate for the reorganization year which, at the time of issue, had not been revoked by Investissement Québec. It also specifies, if applicable, for each of the other corporations mentioned in the particular certificate which, for a preceding taxation year, was itself a particular corporation referred to in the first paragraph of section 9.4, both the time of the preceding reorganization from which it resulted and the names of all other corporations holding a specified corporation certificate for the year of that preceding reorganization which, at the time of issue, had not been revoked by Investissement Québec.

The particular certificate must also specify the date of coming into force of the specified corporation certificate issued to the corporation for the first taxation year in which it carried out, in a designated site, an activity listed in the activities certificate issued to it for the year in relation to the site. However, in the following circumstances, the date that must be specified in the particular certificate is,

(1) where the corporation is a particular corporation referred to in the first paragraph of section 9.4, the date that is the earliest among all dates each of which is the date of coming into force of the exempt corporation certificate held by another corporation whose name would be mentioned in the particular certificate if the second paragraph were read as follows, or, if the other corporation does not hold such a certificate, the date of the first specified corporation certificate issued to it:

“If the corporation is a particular corporation referred to in the first paragraph of section 9.4 for the taxation year, the particular certificate must specify the time of the corporate reorganization, as well as the names of all other corporations holding a specified corporation certificate for the reorganization year. It also specifies, if applicable, for each of the other corporations mentioned in the particular certificate which, for a preceding taxation year, was itself a particular corporation referred to in section 9.4, both the time of the preceding reorganization from which it resulted and the names of all other corporations holding a specified corporation certificate for the year of that preceding reorganization.” ; or

(2) if the corporation is referred to in the fourth paragraph of section 9.3 and is not a particular corporation referred to in the first paragraph of section 9.4, the date of coming into force of the exempt corporation certificate it holds.

If the corporation is carrying on a business in a biotechnology development centre, the particular certificate must specify the rate that, subject to subparagraphs b to d of the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.0.22.1 of the Taxation Act, is applicable to the tax credit on specified wages. The rate specified is 30%, except in the circumstances described in the first or second paragraph of section 9.26, in which case the rate is 40%. In addition, if the corporation is a particular corporation referred to in the first paragraph of section 9.27, Investissement Québec must specify in the particular certificate, in support of the 40% rate, the information that would be required by the second paragraph if it were read as if the reference to section 9.4 was replaced, wherever it appears, by a reference to section 9.27.

If part of the corporation’s premises located in the designated site is not available for occupation, the corporation must establish to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that it has entered into a lease to occupy that part of the premises at the earliest date possible. Once that fact is established, the corporation is deemed, for the purposes of the first paragraph, to carry out, in that part of the premises and throughout the period of the taxation year during which it may not occupy it, the activities that it is carrying out elsewhere in Québec and that are listed in the activities certificate issued to it for the year in relation to the site.

If, in a taxation year, a corporation carries on a business in more than one designated site and Investissement Québec issues a specified corporation certificate in respect of each of those sites to the corporation for the year, the certificates are deemed to be one and the same specified corporation certificate. For that purpose, the following rules apply in respect of the latter certificate:

(1) its date of coming into force is the date that is the earliest of the dates of coming into force of the certificates that form it; and

(2) it will be considered revoked only when all the certificates that form it are revoked.

A corporation holding an exempt corporation certificate must inform Investissement Québec diligently if, at a particular time in a particular taxation year, control of a corporation holding a specified corporation certificate is acquired, in accordance with subparagraph f of the first paragraph of section 771.13 of the Taxation Act, by the corporation, by a person or group of persons controlling it or by a group described in that subparagraph f to which the corporation belongs as a member or as a corporation controlled by one or more members of the group. In such a case, Investissement Québec must issue a specified corporation certificate for the year to the corporation and to any other corporation holding an exempt corporation certificate that is likewise part of the group, unless the corporation or any such other corporation has notified Investissement Québec that it elects to maintain its exempt corporation status despite the acquisition of control.

A particular corporation holding an exempt corporation certificate makes the election referred to in the fourth paragraph of section 9.3 or in the first paragraph of section 9.26, for a taxation year, by filing with Investissement Québec an application for a specified corporation certificate for the year.

9.26. A rate of 40% is specified in the specified corporation certificate issued for a particular taxation year to a corporation that carries on a business in a biotechnology development centre, holds an exempt corporation certificate issued to it following an application filed before 12 June 2003 and, after 30 March 2004, was entitled to obtain a specified corporation certificate because of subparagraph f of the first paragraph of section 771.13 of the Taxation Act or elected to become a corporation holding such a certificate, if

(2) a specified corporation certificate was issued to the corporation for each taxation year that is between that preceding year and the particular year; and

(3) at the time the specified corporation certificate is to be issued for the particular year, none of the following certificates have been revoked:

(a) the exempt corporation certificate; and

(b) the certificates referred to in subparagraphs 1 and 2.

The 40% rate is also specified in the specified corporation certificate issued for a particular taxation year to a corporation that carries on a business in a biotechnology development centre, but to which the first paragraph does not apply, if

(2) a specified corporation certificate was issued to the corporation for each taxation year that is between that preceding year and the particular year; and

(3) at the time the specified corporation certificate is to be issued to the corporation for the particular year, none of the certificates referred to in subparagraphs 1 and 2 have been revoked.

If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes the exempt corporation certificate issued to the corporation referred to in the first paragraph, any specified corporation certificate issued to the corporation is deemed to be amended by Investissement Québec at that time to replace the specified rate of 40% by a rate of 30%. If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes a specified corporation certificate issued to the corporation referred to in the first or second paragraph for a given taxation year which, if the corporation is referred to in the second paragraph, does not precede the taxation year referred to in subparagraph 1 of that paragraph, the same applies to any specified corporation certificate issued to the corporation for a taxation year subsequent to the given year.

The revocation by Investissement Québec of the exempt corporation certificate issued to a corporation gives rise to the application of the presumption in the third paragraph only if the effective date of the revocation precedes the date of coming into force of the election referred to in the first paragraph.

9.27. For the purpose of applying, for a particular taxation year, the first or second paragraph of section 9.26 in respect of a particular corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization involving at least one other corporation that held a valid specified corporation certificate for its taxation year that ended immediately before the time of the reorganization or included that time (in this section and in section 9.25 referred to as the “reorganization year”), one or more of the following presumptions apply, as the case may be:

(1) where the other corporation or, if there are more than one, any of the other corporations is referred to in the first paragraph of section 9.26 or is deemed to hold an exempt corporation certificate because of the application of this subparagraph, the exempt corporation certificate held or deemed to be held by that corporation is, subject to the third paragraph, deemed to be held by the particular corporation, and each of the specified corporation certificates that were issued to it or are deemed to have been issued to it because of the application of this subparagraph is, subject to the third paragraph, deemed to have been issued to the particular corporation; or

(2) where subparagraph 1 does not apply in respect of the other corporation or, if there are more than one, in respect of any of the other corporations, any specified corporation certificate that was issued to the corporation for any of its taxation years that is the reorganization year, the year referred to in subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph of section 9.26 or a year between those two taxation years, or that is deemed to have been issued to the corporation for such a year because of the application of this subparagraph, is, subject to the third paragraph, deemed to have been issued to the particular corporation for the same taxation year.

The first paragraph is deemed to have applied before 1 January 2011 in respect of any other corporation resulting from a reorganization, if a specified corporation certificate was issued to that other corporation before that date.

If, at a particular time, because of the application of the third paragraph, the particular corporation can no longer meet, for a taxation year, neither the conditions of subparagraphs 1 and 2 of the first paragraph of section 9.26 nor the conditions of subparagraphs 1 and 2 of the second paragraph of that section, any specified corporation certificate that was issued to it is deemed to have been amended by Investissement Québec at that time to replace, in accordance with the third paragraph of section 9.26, the rate of 40% by a rate of 30%.

In this section, “corporate reorganization” means

(1) an amalgamation of corporations;

(2) the winding-up of a wholly-owned subsidiary into its parent; or

For the purposes of this section, either the parent or the other corporation referred to in subparagraph 3 of the sixth paragraph is considered to be the corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization, depending on whether the reorganization is described in subparagraph 2 or 3 of that sixth paragraph.

DIVISION VIII

ACTIVITIES CERTIFICATE

9.28. An activities certificate issued, for a taxation year, to a corporation carrying on a business in a designated site certifies that each of the activities mentioned in the certificate is recognized,

(1) if the designated site is a biotechnology development centre, as an activity related to biotechnologies;

(2) if the designated site is a new economy centre, as an activity related to the new economy; or

(3) if the designated site is the Centre national des nouvelles technologies de Québec or the Cité du multimédia, as an activity related to information technologies.

If the designated site is a biotechnology development centre and the corporation does not hold an exempt corporation certificate, the activities certificate also specifies, for the purpose of establishing the beginning of the period referred to in paragraph b or c of the definition of “eligibility period” in the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.0.17 of the Taxation Act, the date of coming into force of the first specified corporation certificate issued to the corporation following an application filed after 30 March 2004.

9.29. Subject to section 9.32, an activity may be recognized as an activity related to biotechnologies if

(1) the activity is an innovative activity in the field of biotechnology; and

(2) the activity is related to

(a) human health,

(b) animal or plant agrobiotechnology,

(d) human or animal nutrition.

9.30. Subject to section 9.32, an activity may be recognized as an activity related to the new economy if

(1) the activity is an innovative activity; and

(2) the activity is carried out in any of the following sectors:

(a) information technologies, including electronic data processing, telecommunications, geomatics, measurement and control instrumentation, multimedia and consulting services,

(b) production technologies, including design and engineering, manufacturing and assembly, automated handling of materials and manufacturing information systems,

(d) materials technologies, including chemical and metallic materials, polymers and composite materials, and

(e) scientific and technological services, including engineering services, testing laboratories, scientific and technical consulting services and the design of computer systems.

9.31. Subject to section 9.32, an activity may be recognized as an activity related to information technologies if

(1) the activity is an innovative activity; and

(2) the activity is carried out in the sectors of information technology and communications, including electronic data processing, telecommunications, multimedia and consulting services.

9.32. The following activities may be recognized neither as activities related to biotechnologies, nor as activities related to the new economy or activities related to information technologies:

(1) the repair, maintenance and reconditioning of electronic or computer hardware;

(2) the manufacturing of machines, instruments, components, parts, hardware or equipment;

(3) the assembly of parts or components, such as the assembly of television sets, computer monitors, calculators or cash registers;

(4) audio or video signal distribution services via television broadcasting, telephony, cable broadcasting, satellites or other cellular networks;

(5) distribution services such as those of newspaper chains, periodicals, video clubs and television stations;

(6) the operation of radio or television broadcasting satellites, studios or networks;

(7) the operation of telephone services or electromagnetic telecommunications services, such as a call centre or a telephone network;

(8) activities related to print media, non-digital film, including post-production, or non-digital audiovisual production, including a television program;

(9) activities carried out by a primary supplier, in particular a museum, a library or an information bank;

(10) activities carried out by an Internet access provider;

(11) teleconferencing services;

(12) the publishing of books and the production of disks; and

(13) activities related to market analysis and market development, financial packaging, business plan preparation, capital property financing, advertising, promoting, manufacturing, processing or commercializing.

DIVISION IX

SPECIFIED EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATE

9.33. A specified employee certificate issued to a corporation certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as a specified employee of the corporation for the taxation year for which the application for the certificate was made or for the part of the year specified in it.

9.34. An individual may be recognized as a specified employee of a corporation if

(1) the individual works full time for the corporation, that is, at least 26 hours per week, for an expected minimum period of 40 weeks;

(2) the individual undertakes, supervises or directly supports, in a designated site where the corporation carries on a business, work relating to an activity of the corporation that is mentioned in the activities certificate issued to the corporation, in relation to the site, for the year for which the application for an employee certificate is filed; and

(3) the individual performs his or her duties exclusively or almost exclusively in the designated site.

9.35. For the purposes of subparagraph 3 of the first paragraph of section 9.34, an individual who works for a corporation is deemed to perform his or her duties in a designated site where the corporation carries on a business during the period in which the individual receives refresher training outside the site, provided all the conditions of that section are otherwise met and the individual receives his or her usual remuneration during that period.

An individual is also deemed to perform, in the designated site, the duties that the individual performs in a research centre equipped with specialized equipment or in a natural setting, if

(1) the research centre or natural setting is located neither in another establishment of the corporation, nor in the establishment of a client or of a person with whom the corporation is not dealing at arm’s length; and

(2) it would be unreasonable to require that those duties be performed in the designated site.

If the designated site is a biotechnology development centre, the individual is deemed to perform his or her duties in the centre when using a person’s specialized facility, in relation to the centre, that the corporation is renting in the course of carrying out an activity mentioned in the valid activities certificate it holds in relation to the centre.

The individual is also deemed to perform his or her duties in the designated site when performing them elsewhere in Québec because part of the corporation’s premises located in the site is not available for occupation. In such a case, the presumption applies only for the period referred to in the fifth paragraph of section 9.25 and only if the evidence required by that paragraph is provided to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction. The latter presumption also has effect for the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph of section 9.34.

9.36. The number of specified employee certificates that Investissement Québec may issue to a corporation for a taxation year, in respect of a designated site where the corporation carries on a business, may not exceed the result obtained by dividing the total area of the premises occupied by the corporation in the designated site by the area of the average reasonable space that is intended for the exclusive use of an individual recognized as a specified employee of the corporation for the year and that is needed by that individual to perform his or her duties.

The area of the average reasonable space is assessed taking into account the nature of the duties performed and the proportion that, for the same work shift, each type of work station of the corporation for which a specified employee certificate may be issued is of all such work stations.

9.37. If an individual is temporarily absent from work for reasons it considers reasonable, Investissement Québec may, for the purpose of determining whether the individual meets the conditions for recognition as a specified employee of a corporation, consider that the individual continued to work and to perform his or her duties throughout the period of absence exactly as he or she was performing them immediately before the beginning of that period.

CHAPTER X

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX HOLIDAYS AND TAX CREDITS RELATING TO MONTRÉAL INTERNATIONAL TRADE ZONE AT MIRABEL

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

10.1. In this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise,

“fiscal measure relating to the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel” means any of the following fiscal measures from which a corporation to which the certificate referred to in the first paragraph of section 10.3 is or has been issued, or a corporation that is a member of a partnership to which such a certificate has been issued or, in the case of the measure described in paragraph 6, another person who is a member of such a partnership may benefit:

(1) the tax credit for wages;

(2) the tax credit for customs brokerage services;

(3) the tax credit for the acquisition costs or rental expenses of a property;

(4) the fiscal measure provided for in Title VII.2.2 of Book IV of Part I of the Taxation Act, which allows the corporation to deduct an amount in computing its taxable income, for a taxation year, under section 737.18.11 of that Act;

(5) the fiscal measure provided for in sections 1130, 1137 and 1138.2.1 of the Taxation Act, which allows the corporation to deduct an amount in computing its paid-up capital for a taxation year under paragraphs d and e of section 1137 of that Act; and

(6) the fiscal measure provided for in sections 33 and 34 of the Act respecting the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec, which allows the corporation or the other person to obtain a contribution exemption under subparagraph b of the seventh paragraph of section 34 of that Act;

“Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel” means the zone that consists of the lots of the official cadastre of Mirabel bearing numbers 1 554 289, 1 554 299, 1 555 365, 1 689 485, 1 689 486, 1 689 487, 1 689 505, 1 689 506, 1 689 507, 1 689 508, 1 689 509, 1 689 548, 1 689 549, 1 689 551, 1 689 552, 1 689 555, 1 689 780, 1 689 781, 1 689 783, 1 689 784, 1 689 785, 1 689 786, 1 689 787, 1 689 789, 1 689 790, 1 689 791, 1 689 793, 1 689 794, 1 689 795, 1 689 796, 1 689 797, 1 689 798, 1 689 799, 1 689 897, 1 689 898, 1 689 899, 1 689 900, 1 689 901, 1 689 902, 1 689 903, 1 689 904, 1 689 905, 1 689 906, 1 689 907, 1 689 908, 1 689 910, 1 689 911, 1 689 913, 1 689 981, 1 689 992, 1 690 004, 1 690 006, 1 690 007, 1 809 917, 1 809 918, 1 809 923, 2 362 199, 2 362 203, 2 362 326, 2 455 559, 2 455 561, 2 455 562, 2 455 563, 2 455 564, 2 455 565, 2 455 567 and 3 495 456;

“tax credit for customs brokerage services” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.5 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year;

“tax credit for the acquisition costs or rental expenses of a property” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.6 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year;

“tax credit for the construction, renovation or alteration of strategic buildings” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.7 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year;

“tax credit for wages” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.4 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year.

10.2. For the purposes of this Act and despite sections 1175.27, 1175.28.15 and 1175.28.17 of the Taxation Act, every person who is a member of a partnership that holds the certificate referred to in the first paragraph of section 10.3 is considered to be the person who benefits from, or avails himself, herself or itself of, the fiscal measure described in paragraph 6 of the definition of “fiscal measure relating to the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel” in section 10.1, according to the agreed proportion in respect of the person for the partnership’s fiscal period that ends in the person’s taxation year for which the measure applies.

10.3. To benefit from a fiscal measure relating to the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel, a corporation or, if it avails itself of the measure as a member of a partnership, the partnership must hold a valid certificate in respect of the business carried on in the zone (in this chapter referred to as a “business certificate”). The same applies if another person who is a member of the partnership intends to avail himself, herself or itself of the fiscal measure described in paragraph 6 of the definition of “fiscal measure relating to the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel” in section 10.1.

Depending on which fiscal measure relating to the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel the corporation or the partnership of which the corporation is a member intends to benefit from, the corporation or the partnership must obtain one or more of the following certificates from Investissement Québec:

(1) in the case of the tax credit for wages, a certificate in respect of each individual for whom the corporation claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as an “employee certificate”);

(2) in the case of the tax credit for customs brokerage services, a certificate in respect of each contract for which the corporation claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as a “contract certificate”); and

(3) in the case of the tax credit for the acquisition costs or rental expenses of a property, a certificate in respect of each property for which the corporation claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as a “property certificate”).

The certificates referred to in subparagraphs 1 and 2 of the second paragraph must be obtained, as the case may be, for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to benefit from the tax credit relating to the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel to which that paragraph refers, or for each fiscal period of the partnership of which the corporation is a member that ends in such a taxation year.

However, Investissement Québec may not issue a particular certificate referred to in the second paragraph to a corporation or partnership, in relation to a business, unless the business certificate held by the corporation or the partnership in respect of the business is still valid on the date of coming into force of the particular certificate.

If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes the business certificate held by the corporation or the partnership in respect of a business, any certificate referred to in the second paragraph that relates to the business and whose date of coming into force is subsequent to the effective date of the revocation is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at that time. In such a case, the effective date of the deemed revocation is the date of coming into force of the certificate that is deemed to be revoked. Any certificate referred to in the second paragraph that relates to the business and that is still valid on the effective date of the revocation of the business certificate is also deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at that particular time, except that the deemed revocation becomes effective on the latter date.

10.4. Despite the first paragraph of section 10.3, to benefit from a fiscal measure relating to the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel, a particular corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization must obtain a business certificate from Investissement Québec in respect of a particular business. However, Investissement Québec may issue the certificate only if

(1) following the reorganization, the particular corporation carries on the particular business in the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel;

(2) another corporation that was part of the reorganization held, immediately before the reorganization, an unrevoked business certificate that was issued to it, in respect of the particular business, either following an application filed before 12 June 2003 or, if the other corporation itself resulted from a reorganization, under this paragraph; and

(3) in the case of a reorganization referred to in subparagraph 3 of the fourth paragraph and where the particular business that was transferred to the particular corporation is only part of the business in respect of which the other corporation held a business certificate, the other corporation ceases as of the time of the transfer to carry on, in the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel, the portion of that business that was not transferred.

The first paragraph is deemed to have applied before 1 January 2011 in respect of any corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization, if a business certificate was issued to it before that date in respect of the business carried on following the reorganization.

A particular business certificate issued to a particular corporation under the first paragraph is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at a particular time if the business certificate that the other corporation held immediately before the reorganization from which it resulted is revoked by Investissement Québec at that time or is deemed to be revoked because of the application of this paragraph. The effective date of the deemed revocation is the date of coming into force of the particular certificate.

In this section and sections 10.6 and 10.20, “corporate reorganization” means

(1) an amalgamation of corporations;

(2) the winding-up of a wholly-owned subsidiary into its parent; or

(3) a reorganization in the course of which a corporation transfers to another corporation all or part of the activities of the particular business that are specified in the business certificate issued to the corporation that is valid immediately before the time of the transfer, which time is considered to be the time of the reorganization, provided that all the issued shares of each class of shares of the capital stock of each of the two corporations that are parties to the transfer are owned by the same person or are owned by the same group of persons and are distributed among its members in such a manner that the proportion of issued shares of any class of shares of the capital stock of either of the two corporations that are owned by each member is identical to the proportion of issued shares of the corresponding class of shares of the capital stock of the other corporation that are owned by the member.

For the purposes of this section and sections 10.6 and 10.20, the parent or the other corporation referred to in subparagraph 3 of the fourth paragraph is considered to be the corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization, depending on whether the reorganization is described in subparagraph 2 or 3 of that fourth paragraph.

The business certificate held by the corporation that transferred, in the course of a corporate reorganization described in subparagraph 3 of the fourth paragraph, all or part of the activities of the particular business that are described in the certificate is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec as of the time of the reorganization. However, this presumption does not apply in respect of the third paragraph.

10.5. A corporation which, for any taxation year, benefited from the tax credit for the construction, renovation or alteration of strategic buildings, in relation to a particular building, must, to avoid paying the special tax provided for in section 1129.4.30 of the Taxation Act, obtain from Investissement Québec a certificate in respect of the building (in this chapter referred to as a “building certificate”).

The certificate must be obtained for each of the nine taxation years following the taxation year that includes the date specified in the work completion certificate held by the corporation in relation to the particular building.

DIVISION II

BUSINESS CERTIFICATE

10.6. A particular business certificate issued to a corporation or a partnership, in relation to a particular business, certifies that all or substantially all of the activities of the business that the corporation or partnership carries on in the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel are activities that are mentioned in the certificate. The certificate also certifies that those activities are recognized as eligible activities.

A particular certificate issued following an application filed before 12 June 2003 confirms the business plan enclosed with the application, which plan specifies, among other things, the particular sectors to which the activities of the particular business must belong.

In the case of a particular corporation referred to in the first paragraph of section 10.4, the particular certificate specifies the time of the corporate reorganization and the name of the other corporation holding, immediately before that time, a valid business certificate in respect of the particular business. If the other corporation also resulted from a corporate reorganization, the certificate specifies, for any other corporation mentioned in the particular certificate which, in the course of a preceding reorganization, was a corporation referred to in the first paragraph of section 10.4, both the time of the preceding reorganization from which it resulted and the name of the other corporation holding, immediately before that time, a valid business certificate in respect of the particular business. The particular certificate also specifies, for the purposes of the provisions of the Taxation Act that are listed in the fifth paragraph, as a deemed effective date, the date of coming into force of the business certificate issued, in respect of the particular business, to the other corporation or, if there are more than one, to the corporation among those other corporations that applied for the certificate before 12 June 2003. Lastly, for the purposes of the presumptions of the Taxation Act that are listed in the sixth paragraph, the latter certificate is deemed to have been issued to the particular corporation.

If an immovable or a part of immovable located in the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel that the corporation or the partnership needs to carry on the particular business is not yet available for occupation, the corporation or partnership must give an undertaking to Investissement Québec that it will occupy the immovable or part of immovable at the earliest date possible. Once that undertaking has been given, the corporation or the partnership is deemed, for the purposes of this chapter, to carry on, in that immovable or part of immovable and throughout the period during which it may not occupy it, activities of the particular business that it carries on elsewhere in Québec.

The provisions of the Taxation Act to which the third paragraph refers are the following:

(1) the definition of “base period” in the first paragraph of section 737.18.6;

(2) paragraph b of the definition of “qualified wages” in the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.0.38;

(3) paragraph b of the definition of “qualified brokerage expenditure” in the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.0.55; and

(4) the definition of “qualified property” in the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.0.72.

The presumptions of the Taxation Act to which the third paragraph refers are those set out in the following provisions of that Act:

(1) section 737.18.9.1; and

(2) the third paragraph of each of sections 1029.8.36.0.38, 1029.8.36.0.55 and 1029.8.36.0.72.

10.7. A business certificate issued to a corporation or a partnership in respect of a particular business whose activities are the expansion of the particular activities which, on the date it becomes effective, are carried on in Québec outside the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel, is valid only for the period in which the corporation or partnership complies with its undertaking not to reduce the particular activities or move them inside the zone.

10.8. To be recognized as an eligible activity, an activity must be provided for in the business plan referred to in the second paragraph of section 10.6 and relate to one or more of the following sectors of activity:

(1) international logistics;

(2) aircraft maintenance and repair;

(3) training in the field of aviation; and

(4) minor processing.

An activity that is provided for in the business plan referred to in the second paragraph of section 10.6 may also be recognized as an eligible activity if, in the opinion of Investissement Québec, it is of special interest to Québec.

10.9. Subject to section 10.10, an activity relates to international logistics if it is closely related to the international or interprovincial distribution of goods. In this respect, for each class of goods, Québec must be neither the origin nor the destination of property representing more than 20% of the value of the goods included in that class. However, a more substantial part of the property of a class of goods may come from Québec or be distributed in Québec if such property is not otherwise distributed in Québec by other businesses.

10.10. The transportation activities of a corporation or partnership providing air, trucking or railway services are not considered to be activities that relate to international logistics, unless they consist in ground activities of an air carrier that are directly related to the transhipment or storage of goods.

10.11. The aircraft maintenance and repair sector includes activities relating to the maintenance and repair of navigation instruments and ground service equipment.

10.12. An activity relates to training in the field of aviation if it complements training activities that are offered in Québec outside the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel or if it contributes mainly to the training of flight personnel or airport personnel that are not resident in Québec.

For the purposes of the first paragraph,

“airport personnel” includes firefighters, de-icing workers, air traffic controllers, investigators, flight safety managers and ramp agents;

“flight personnel” includes pilots, flight attendants and flight engineers.

10.13. A manufacturing or processing activity relates to minor processing if the total of the value added at the time of the manufacturing or processing and the cost of the components purchased in the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel for that activity does not exceed half of the total value of the product manufactured or processed, and if the decision to establish, in the zone, a particular business of which the activity is a part is significantly motivated by one or more of the following factors:

(1) the proximity of an international airport;

(2) the presence of a free zone;

(3) easy access to air, road, rail or maritime transportation; and

(4) the availability of a sizable establishment area.

However, such a manufacturing or processing activity may not be recognized as an eligible activity unless it contributes to the development of facilities dedicated to airport purposes and to the economic development of Québec and is in keeping with the requirements of international trade agreements.

DIVISION III

EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATE

10.14. An employee certificate issued to a corporation or a partnership, in relation to a particular business, certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation or partnership for the taxation year or fiscal period for which the application for the certificate was made or for the part of the year or period specified in the certificate.

10.15. An individual may be recognized as an eligible employee of a corporation or a partnership, if

(1) the individual works full-time for the corporation or partnership, that is, at least 26 hours per week, for an expected minimum period of at least 40 weeks; and

(2) at least 75% of the individual’s duties with the corporation or partnership consist in work relating to an activity of a particular business (other than an activity that relates to minor processing) that is specified in the valid business certificate held by the corporation or partnership in respect of the business.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, an individual’s administrative tasks are not to be considered as work relating to an activity specified in a business certificate.

In this section, “administrative tasks” include tasks relating to operations management, accounting, finances, legal affairs, public relations, communications, contract solicitation and human and physical resources management.

DIVISION IV

CONTRACT CERTIFICATE

10.16. A contract certificate issued to a corporation or a partnership, in relation to a particular business, certifies that the contract referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible contract for the taxation year of the corporation or the fiscal period of the partnership for which the application for the certificate was made. The contract certificate also lists the services rendered under the contract by a customs broker to the corporation in the year, or to the partnership in the period, that constitute customs brokerage services rendered in relation to the activities of the particular business that are specified in the valid business certificate held by the corporation or partnership in respect of the business.

10.17. A contract between a corporation or a partnership and a customs broker under which the customs broker undertakes to render customs brokerage services to the corporation or partnership, in relation to the activities of a particular business that are specified in the business certificate held by the corporation or partnership in respect of the business, is recognized as an eligible contract.

DIVISION V

PROPERTY CERTIFICATE

10.18. A property certificate issued to a corporation or a partnership certifies that the property referred to in the certificate is dedicated to the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel. If the property is leased by the person or partnership, the certificate also specifies the eligible lease period of the property determined in accordance with the second paragraph.

The eligible lease period of a property is the lease period during which the total rent paid in respect of the property does not exceed 25% of the acquisition cost of an identical property.

10.19. A property is considered to be dedicated to the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel if, within a reasonable time after its acquisition or after the date of the contract under which it is leased, it is used by the corporation or partnership only in the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel and exclusively or almost exclusively to earn income from the activities of a particular business that are specified in the business certificate held by the corporation or partnership in respect of the business.

In the circumstances described in the fourth paragraph of section 10.6, a property is deemed to be used in the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel for the period during which it is used by the corporation or partnership in Québec outside the zone, if

(1) during that period, it is used exclusively or almost exclusively to earn income from the activities specified in the business certificate held by the corporation or partnership in respect of the particular business; and

(2) it continues to be so used by the corporation or partnership in the carrying on of the particular business after the corporation or partnership has begun to occupy the immovable or the part of immovable, referred to in that fourth paragraph, that is located in the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel.

10.20. Investissement Québec must revoke the property certificate issued to a corporation or a partnership, in respect of a property acquired or leased by it, if, at any time in the three-year period after the date on which the property began to be used by the corporation or partnership, the property ceases to be used by the corporation or partnership only in the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel or exclusively or almost exclusively to earn income from the activities specified in the business certificate held by the corporation or partnership in respect of the particular business. The effective date of the revocation is the date of coming into force of the property certificate that is revoked.

If a property certificate has been issued to another corporation referred to in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph of section 10.4 in relation to a particular business carried on by the other corporation, the particular corporation resulting from the corporate reorganization following which the particular corporation continues the carrying on of the particular business and the other corporation are deemed to be one and the same corporation in determining, for the purposes of this section and section 10.18, if the property has been used and, if so, to what end.

10.21. Investissement Québec may not issue a property certificate to a corporation or a partnership in respect of a property that is office furniture or general-use equipment or that is used by individuals holding administrative duties with the corporation or partnership. The same applies in respect of a property that is an aircraft, a vehicle or rolling stock, except in the case of equipment intended for the transhipment of goods or the handling of goods inside a warehouse, hangar or assembly shop.

DIVISION VI

BUILDING CERTIFICATE

10.22. A building certificate issued to a corporation certifies that, for the taxation year for which the application for the certificate was made, the building or the part of building that is referred to in the certificate is not used or intended to be used for residential purposes and that at least three quarters of the total space is used for the carrying on of one or more businesses recognized by Investissement Québec or is intended to be so used.

If at least three quarters of the total space of the building or of the part of building is occupied by the same corporation for the carrying on of a business recognized by Investissement Québec, the name of the corporation is also specified in the building certificate.

10.23. A business in whose respect an unrevoked business certificate is held is recognized by Investissement Québec. A business of a corporation may also be recognized by Investissement Québec if

(1) at the time the business begins to be carried on in the building or the part of building referred to in section 10.22, the business is not identical or similar to another business carried on in Québec at that time by a person other than the corporation;

(2) all or substantially all the activities of the business relate to one or more of the sectors of activity referred to in the first paragraph of section 10.8;

(3) the activities of the business are new activities for the corporation or constitute a significant expansion of a business already carried on by the corporation; and

(4) the activities of the business do not arise from the relocation of a business that was carried on in Québec outside the Montréal international trade zone at Mirabel.

CHAPTER XI

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT FOR JOB CREATION IN RESOURCE REGIONS, IN ALUMINUM VALLEY AND IN GASPÉSIE AND CERTAIN MARITIME REGIONS OF QUÉBEC

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

11.1. In this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise,

“base year” of a corporation, relating to the particular calendar year that ends in a taxation year for which the corporation claims the tax credit for job creation in certain regions of Québec, means, subject to the third paragraph, the calendar year that precedes the first calendar year covered by the first qualification certificate issued to the corporation that

(1) is valid at the beginning of the particular year; and

(2) either is referred to in the first paragraph of section 11.2 or, if that first calendar year precedes the year 2003, was issued for the purposes of any of the following divisions:

(a) Division II.6.6.2 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, in which case the qualification certificate is referred to in this chapter as an “initial qualification certificate” in relation to the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region;

(b) Division II.6.6.4 of that Chapter III.1, in which case the qualification certificate is referred to in this chapter as an “initial qualification certificate” in relation to the eligible regions; and

(c) Division II.6.6.6 of that Chapter III.1, in which case the qualification certificate is referred to in this chapter as an “initial qualification certificate” in relation to the resource regions;

“designated region” means

(1) a resource region;

(2) an eligible region; or

(3) the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region;

“eligible region” means

(1) the Bas-Saint-Laurent region;

(2) the Côte-Nord region; or

(3) the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region;

“recognized business”, for a calendar year, in relation to the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, means the set of activities carried on by a corporation in one or more resource regions, one or more eligible regions or in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be, that are specified in a qualification certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph of section 11.2 that is issued to the corporation for the calendar year;

“resource region” means

(1) any of the following regions or parts of a region:

(a) either the Bas-Saint-Laurent region or, if this definition applies to a calendar year subsequent to the year 2012, the part of that region that includes the territories of the regional county municipalities of La Matapédia, La Matanie and La Mitis,

(b) either the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region or, if this definition applies to a calendar year subsequent to the year 2012, the part of that region that includes the territories of the regional county municipalities of Maria-Chapdelaine, Le Fjord-du-Saguenay and Le Domaine-du-Roy,

(c) either the Mauricie region or, if this definition applies to a calendar year subsequent to the year 2012, the part of that region that includes the territories of the urban agglomeration of La Tuque, Municipalité régionale de comté de Mékinac and Ville de Shawinigan,

(d) the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region,

(e) the Côte-Nord region, and

(f) the Nord-du-Québec region; or

(2) any of the following regional county municipalities:

(a) Municipalité régionale de comté d’Antoine-Labelle,

(b) Municipalité régionale de comté de La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, and

“tax credit for job creation in certain regions of Québec” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.6.6.1 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year.

For the purposes of the definition of “base year” in the first paragraph, the following presumptions must be taken into consideration, as applicable:

(1) a qualification certificate issued to a corporation for a period beginning in the calendar year 2000 or 2001, in respect of a particular business that is recognized by Investissement Québec in relation to that calendar year and that was carried on by the corporation for the purposes of any of Divisions II.6.6.2, II.6.6.4 and II.6.6.6 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, is, if the corporation so elected and despite the revocation of the certificate by Investissement Québec at the corporation’s request, deemed valid, for the purpose of determining the corporation’s base year that relates to a subsequent calendar year that is covered, in whole or in part, by a qualification certificate referred to in the first paragraph of section 11.2 that is subsequently issued to the corporation in respect of activities recognized by Investissement Québec that are part of the business, or by a qualification certificate subsequently issued to the corporation, in relation to the business and for the purposes of that Division II.6.6.2, II.6.6.4 or II.6.6.6; and

(2) a qualification certificate referred to in the first paragraph of section 11.2 or issued for the purposes of any of Divisions II.6.6.2, II.6.6.4 and II.6.6.6 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, revoked by Investissement Québec at the request of the corporation to which it has been issued, because of a major unforeseen event affecting the corporation in a particular calendar year, is deemed valid, for the purpose of determining the corporation’s base year that relates to a calendar year subsequent to the particular calendar year, if the corporation resumes the activities that were interrupted because of the major unforeseen event in a municipality or in another place that is more than 40 km away from the municipality or the place where the corporation used to carry on the activities.

However, the base year of a corporation that carried on, before 1 April 2008, a recognized business in relation to the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be, is

(1) the calendar year that precedes the calendar year ending in the taxation year for which an election under the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.72.82.3.1 of the Taxation Act was made for the first time by the corporation, if the corporation made the second election referred to in paragraph a of the definition of “base period” in the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.72.82.1 of that Act; or

(2) the calendar year 2010, if the corporation made the election under the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.72.82.3.1.1 of that Act.

11.2. To benefit from the tax credit for job creation in certain regions of Québec, a corporation that is carrying on activities in one or more designated regions must obtain a qualification certificate from Investissement Québec in relation to any set of activities which, according to the designated region or regions in which the corporation is carrying on the activities and the nature of the activities, is

(1) the set of activities that are carried on by the corporation in one or more resource regions in the first calendar year for which the application for the qualification certificate is filed and that may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of such a region, in which case the qualification certificate is referred to in this chapter as an “initial qualification certificate”, in relation to the resource regions;

(2) the set of activities that are carried on by the corporation in one or more eligible regions in the first calendar year for which the application for the qualification certificate is filed and that may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of such a region, in which case the qualification certificate is referred to in this chapter as an “initial qualification certificate”, in relation to the eligible regions; or

(3) the set of activities that are carried on by the corporation in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region in the first calendar year for which the application for the qualification certificate is filed and that may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of that region, in which case the qualification certificate is referred to in this chapter as an “initial qualification certificate”, in relation to the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.

To benefit from the tax credit, a corporation must also obtain the following documents from Investissement Québec:

(1) a qualification certificate (in this chapter referred to as a “business qualification certificate”) in respect of activities carried on by the corporation in one or more resource regions, one or more eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region and for which the corporation claims the tax credit; and

(2) a certificate (in this chapter referred to as an “employee certificate”) in respect of each individual who meets the requirements for recognition as an eligible employee of the corporation.

The documents referred to in the second paragraph must be obtained for each calendar year that ends in a taxation year for which the corporation intends to claim the tax credit for job creation in certain regions of Québec. The certificates referred to in subparagraph 2 of that paragraph must also be obtained for the base year that relates to such a calendar year.

However, Investissement Québec may not issue an initial qualification certificate to a corporation, in relation to the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be, unless the first calendar year for which the application for the certificate is filed precedes the year 2016. Similarly, Investissement Québec may not issue an initial qualification certificate to a corporation in relation to the resource regions unless

(1) the corporation results from a corporate reorganization described in the fifth paragraph of section 11.4 in the course of which an unrevoked initial qualification certificate in relation to the resource regions is deemed to have been issued to the corporation under subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph of that section; or

(2) because of a major unforeseen event, an initial qualification certificate issued to the corporation in relation to the resource regions has been revoked by Investissement Québec at the corporation’s request and the corporation resumes the activities recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of such a region that were interrupted because of the event before the beginning of the third calendar year that follows the calendar year in which the activities were interrupted.

Similarly, Investissement Québec may not, for a particular calendar year, issue to a corporation a business qualification certificate in respect of the activities carried on by the corporation in one or more resource regions, one or more eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region unless the initial qualification certificate, in relation to the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be, issued to the corporation is valid for the particular year.

Investissement Québec is deemed to revoke the initial qualification certificate, in relation to the resource regions, that was issued to a corporation if the corporation makes an election under the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.72.82.3.1.1 of the Taxation Act. The deemed revocation becomes effective on 1 January 2011.

If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes an initial qualification certificate issued to a corporation, in relation to the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be, any business qualification certificate issued to the corporation in relation to such regions, for the particular calendar year that includes the effective date of the revocation or for a subsequent calendar year, is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at that time. In such a case, the effective date of the deemed revocation is the date of coming into force of the qualification certificate that is deemed to be revoked.

Investissement Québec may not issue a document referred to in the second paragraph to a corporation for a calendar year subsequent to the year 2015.

11.3. Investissement Québec may not issue an initial qualification certificate in relation to the set of activities carried on by a corporation in the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region unless the corporation establishes to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that at least three full-time jobs will be created within a reasonable time in the territory of one or more eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be.

For the purpose of determining the number of jobs created, any full-time, part-time or seasonal job created by a corporation in any establishment located in an eligible region or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be, as well as any increase in the number of hours worked by employees of such an establishment, may be taken into account. The job or the increase in the number of hours worked is considered to be all or part of a full-time job, depending on the number of hours involved. In the case of an initial qualification certificate issued to a corporation in relation to the eligible regions, any such job that is created or any such increase that occurs in a period preceding the date of coming into force of the initial qualification certificate may also be taken into account if the corporation held, for that period, a valid initial qualification certificate within the meaning of Chapter XII.

11.4. If a particular corporation carries on a set of activities in one or more designated regions and resulted from a corporate reorganization involving another corporation that held, immediately before the reorganization, a valid business qualification certificate in relation to that set of activities, the following rules must be taken into consideration in this chapter:

(1) for the purpose of applying section 11.3 or the third paragraph of section 11.1 to the particular corporation, that corporation and the other corporation are deemed to be one and the same corporation;

(2) any unrevoked initial qualification certificate issued to the other corporation, in relation to the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be, or deemed to have been issued to it because of the application of this subparagraph is deemed to have been issued to the particular corporation; and

(3) any unrevoked employee certificate issued to the other corporation or deemed to have been issued to it because of the application of this subparagraph for its base year is deemed to have been issued to the particular corporation for the calendar year, unless the date of coming into force of the first initial qualification certificate issued to the latter corporation precedes the date of coming into force of the first initial qualification certificate issued to the other corporation.

However, the presumption set out in subparagraph 3 of the first paragraph does not apply in the case of a corporate reorganization that is described in subparagraph 3 of the fifth paragraph and the presumption set out in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph applies to such a reorganization only for the purposes of subparagraph 1 of the fourth paragraph of section 11.2 and for the purpose of establishing whether an activity is referred to in the second paragraph of any of sections 11.7, 11.9 and 11.11.

If, immediately before a reorganization that occurs in the first 15 days of a particular calendar year, the other corporation did not hold, for the particular year, a business qualification certificate in respect of the set of activities referred to in the first paragraph that is transferred in the course of the reorganization, but held a valid initial qualification certificate, the unrevoked business qualification certificate issued to it, in respect of that set of activities, for the calendar year that precedes the particular year is deemed, for the purposes of the first paragraph and of subparagraph 3 of the fifth paragraph, to have been issued for the particular year and be valid immediately before the reorganization.

The first paragraph is deemed to have applied before 1 January 2011 in respect of any other corporation itself resulting from a corporate reorganization that occurred before that date in the circumstances described in that paragraph.

In this chapter, “corporate reorganization” means

(1) an amalgamation of corporations;

(2) the winding-up of a wholly-owned subsidiary into its parent; or

(3) a reorganization in the course of which a corporation transfers to another corporation all of its activities referred to in an unrevoked business qualification certificate issued to the corporation for the calendar year that includes the time of the transfer, which time is considered to be the time of the reorganization, provided that all the issued shares of each class of shares of the capital stock of each of the two corporations that are parties to the transfer are owned by the same person or are owned by the same group of persons and are distributed among its members in such a manner that the proportion of issued shares of any class of shares of the capital stock of either of the two corporations that are owned by each member is identical to the proportion of issued shares of the corresponding class of shares of the capital stock of the other corporation that are owned by the member.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the definition of “corporate reorganization” in the fifth paragraph, a corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of another corporation (in this chapter referred to as the “parent”), if at least 90% of all the issued shares of each class of shares of its capital stock are owned by the parent.

For the purposes of this chapter, either the parent or the other corporation referred to in paragraph 3 of the definition of “corporate reorganization” in the fifth paragraph is considered to be the corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization, depending on whether the reorganization is described in paragraph 2 or 3 of that definition.

DIVISION II

INITIAL QUALIFICATION CERTIFICATE AND BUSINESS QUALIFICATION CERTIFICATE

11.5. An initial qualification certificate issued to a corporation, in relation to the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, confirms that the activities specified in the certificate and carried on by the corporation in such a region, in the first calendar year referred to in the certificate, are activities recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of a resource region, an eligible region or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be. However, that first calendar year may not precede the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which the corporation filed the application for the certificate with Investissement Québec.

If the initial qualification certificate is issued to a corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization described in subparagraph 1 or 2 of the fifth paragraph of section 11.4, it also sets out the activities specified in the initial qualification certificate, in relation to the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be, that was held, immediately before the reorganization, by the other corporation referred to in the first paragraph of that section. If, subsequently, the latter certificate is amended or revoked, Investissement Québec must make the resulting amendments to the initial qualification certificate issued to the corporation.

A corporation that files an application for an initial qualification certificate, in relation to the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, is required to inform Investissement Québec of all the activities it carried on, in the first calendar year for which it makes the application, in one or more resource regions, one or more eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be.

If, as of a particular date, an activity may no longer be recognized in respect of a resource region under sections 11.7 to 11.10, in respect of an eligible region under sections 11.11 to 11.13 or in respect of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region under sections 11.14 to 11.17, and a corporation holds an initial qualification certificate in relation to the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be, in which the activity is specified, Investissement Québec must, at the corporation’s request, amend the qualification certificate to specify that the activity is recognized only for a period that ends immediately before the particular date.

If, as of a particular date, an activity may be recognized in respect of a resource region under sections 11.7 to 11.10, in respect of an eligible region under sections 11.11 to 11.13 or in respect of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region under sections 11.14 to 11.17, and the corporation carried on the activity in such a region in the first calendar year covered by the initial qualification certificate it holds in relation to the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be, Investissement Québec must amend the qualification certificate to specify that the activity is recognized as of the particular date.

11.6. A business qualification certificate issued to a corporation, for a calendar year, confirms that the activities specified in it and carried on by the corporation in one or more designated regions in the year constitute a business recognized by Investissement Québec for the year in respect of the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, depending on whether

(1) the designated regions are resource regions and the activities are recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of such a region;

(2) the designated regions are eligible regions and the activities are recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of such a region; or

(3) the designated region is the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region and the activities are recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of that region.

11.7. Subject to sections 11.9 and 11.10, an activity may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of a resource region if it is,

(1) in relation to the wood processing sector,

(a) an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing finished or semi-finished products from wood,

(b) an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing paper or paperboard products, or

(c) an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing crate components, in seasoning timber in a kiln or in planing timber in a plant;

(2) in relation to the metal processing sector, an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing finished or semi-finished products from metals;

(3) in relation to the non-metallic mineral processing sector, an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing finished or semi-finished products from non-metallic minerals, such as peat and slate;

(4) in relation to the food processing sector, an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing food products;

(5) in relation to the energy sector,

(a) an activity that consists in producing ecological non-conventional energy from the biomass or hydrogen, or

(b) an activity that consists in manufacturing products for the production or use of energy, namely,

i. components that directly produce energy or convert a form of energy into another, such as turbines and alternators, or

ii. industrial-use electrical materials and components that perform connection, commutation, relay or control functions, such as control panels, electric relays and switch cabinets; or

(6) in relation to other sectors,

(a) an activity that consists in reclaiming or recycling waste and residues resulting directly from the development or processing of natural resources,

(b) a fresh-water aquaculture activity,

(c) an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing finished or semi-finished products from gemstones or semi-precious stones, including an activity that consists in the setting of gemstones or semi-precious stones, or in jewellery making, or

(d) a printing or publishing activity, including an activity relating to typesetting, printing, collating, folding or bundling.

An activity that consists in manufacturing specialized equipment for logging operations, wood processing, paper or paperboard manufacturing, mining, metal processing, energy production or use, or fresh-water aquaculture, other than an activity described in the first paragraph, may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of a resource region if the activity is specified in an unrevoked initial qualification certificate issued to the corporation, in relation to the resource regions, following an application filed before 12 June 2003.

Any activity, other than a commercialization activity, that is related to an activity referred to in any subparagraph of the first paragraph or in the second paragraph, such as the technical design of products or production facilities, the receiving or storing of raw materials, or the assembling or handling of goods in process, is deemed to be referred to in that subparagraph or the second paragraph.

A design or engineering activity that is carried on by a corporation for the purpose of manufacturing or processing a property may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of a resource region even if the manufacturing or processing of the property is entrusted to a third party, provided that the manufacturing or processing activities are activities referred to in the first or second paragraph and that the corporation retains broad control over the manufacturing or processing process.

11.8. A commercialization activity that is carried on by a corporation in a particular calendar year may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of a resource region if it is incidental to an activity that is referred to in section 11.7 and carried on in such a region in the particular year by the corporation or a corporation associated with it, in the course of a recognized business, for that year, in relation to the resource regions.

For the purposes of this chapter, a commercialization activity referred to in the first paragraph is deemed to be carried on in a resource region.

11.9. None of the following activities may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of a resource region:

(1) an activity related to pulp, paper or paperboard manufacturing;

(2) an activity related to the primary processing of wood, metals or non-metallic minerals;

(3) an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing finished or semi-finished products from peat or slate and that is carried on by a corporation in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region or in the Côte-Nord region;

(4) an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing alcoholic beverages;

(5) a food manufacturing or processing activity that is carried on in restaurants, hotels, shopping centre fast-food outlets, supermarkets, grocery stores or other similar commercial establishments;

(6) a maintenance or repair activity;

(7) a scientific research and experimental development activity;

(8) an activity related to the sawing of logs or bolts to produce timber or similar products, such as boards, dimension lumber, poles and ties, an activity that takes place before logs are delivered to a sawmill or any other place for processing logs, or an activity related to the production of timber or similar products;

(9) an activity relating to the development of wildlife resources; and

(10) an installation activity, such as an activity involved in the installation of factory-built houses, steel joists, ventilation ducts, electrical systems or kitchen cabinets.

However, despite subparagraph 8 of the first paragraph, an activity of a corporation that relates to the production of timber or similar products and that is subsequent to the sawing of logs or bolts may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of a resource region if the activity is specified in the unrevoked initial qualification certificate, in relation to the resource regions, issued to the corporation following an application filed before 11 July 2002.

11.10. An activity that may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of an eligible region, otherwise than under subparagraph 4 or 5 of the first paragraph of section 11.11, or in respect of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region may not be recognized in respect of a resource region.

11.11. Subject to section 11.13, an activity may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of an eligible region if it is

(1) an activity that consists in producing wind power or manufacturing wind turbines or their key components, in particular, towers, rotors or nacelles, unless the activity is carried on in the Côte-Nord region or the part of the Bas-Saint-Laurent region that is not included in the territory of the Municipalité régionale de comté de La Matanie;

(2) subject to the second paragraph, an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing finished or semi-finished products in the field of marine biotechnology;

(3) subject to the second paragraph, a mariculture activity, unless the activity is carried on in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region;

(4) an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing finished or semi-finished products from peat or slate, other than an activity related to the primary processing of those minerals, and that is carried on by a corporation that did not make the election under the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.72.82.3.1.1 of the Taxation Act; or

(5) a processing or manufacturing activity that is not otherwise referred to in this paragraph, is included in the group described under code 31, 32 or 33 of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Canada, as amended from time to time and published by Statistics Canada, and is carried on in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region.

However, subparagraph 2 or 3 of the first paragraph applies to an activity only if it is specified in a valid initial qualification certificate, in relation to the eligible regions, issued to the corporation for a period beginning in a calendar year that precedes the year 2004.

Any activity, other than a commercialization activity, that is related to an activity referred to in any subparagraph of the first paragraph, such as the technical design of products or production facilities, the receiving or storing of raw materials, or the assembling or handling of goods in process, is deemed to be referred to in that subparagraph.

A design or engineering activity that is carried on by a corporation for the purpose of manufacturing or processing a property may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of an eligible region even if the manufacturing or processing of the property is entrusted to a third party, provided that the manufacturing or processing activities are activities referred to in the first paragraph and that the corporation retains broad control over the manufacturing or processing process.

11.12. A commercialization activity that is carried on by a corporation in a particular calendar year may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of an eligible region if it is incidental to an activity that is referred to in section 11.11 and carried on in such a region in the particular year by the corporation or a corporation associated with it, in the course of a recognized business, for that year, in relation to the eligible regions.

For the purposes of this chapter, a commercialization activity referred to in the first paragraph is deemed to be carried on in an eligible region.

11.13. None of the following activities may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of an eligible region:

(1) an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing alcoholic beverages;

(2) a food manufacturing or processing activity that is carried on in restaurants, hotels, shopping centre fast-food outlets, supermarkets, grocery stores or other similar commercial establishments;

(3) a maintenance and repair activity;

(4) a scientific research and experimental development activity; and

(5) an installation activity, such as an activity involved in the installation of factory-built houses, steel joists, ventilation ducts, electrical systems or kitchen cabinets.

11.14. Subject to sections 11.16 and 11.17, an activity may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region if it is

(1) an activity that consists in manufacturing finished or semi-finished products made from aluminum, provided the aluminum has already undergone primary processing; or

(2) an activity that consists in reclaiming or recycling waste and residues resulting directly from the processing of aluminum.

Any activity, other than a commercialization activity, that is related to an activity referred to in either of the subparagraphs of the first paragraph, such as the technical design of products or production facilities, the receiving or storing of raw materials, or the assembling or handling of goods in process, is deemed to be referred to in that subparagraph.

A design or engineering activity that is carried on by a corporation for the purpose of manufacturing or processing a property may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region even if the manufacturing or processing of the property is entrusted to a third party, provided that the manufacturing or processing activities are activities referred to in the first paragraph and that the corporation retains broad control over the manufacturing or processing process.

11.15. A commercialization activity that is carried on by a corporation in a particular calendar year may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region if it is incidental to an activity that is referred to in section 11.14 and carried on in that region in the particular year by the corporation or a corporation associated with it, in the course of a recognized business, for that year, in relation to the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.

For the purposes of this chapter, a commercialization activity referred to in the first paragraph is deemed to be carried on in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.

11.16. None of the following activities may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region:

(1) a maintenance and repair activity;

(2) a scientific research and experimental development activity; and

(3) an installation activity.

11.17. An activity that may be recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of an eligible region, otherwise than under subparagraph 5 of the first paragraph of section 11.11, may not be recognized in respect of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.

11.18. Investissement Québec may, at the request of a corporation, revoke the initial qualification certificate issued to the corporation, in relation to the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be, if, because of a major unforeseen event, the corporation must cease carrying on activities that are recognized by Investissement Québec in respect of such a region. The revocation becomes effective at the beginning of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the activities ceased.

A decrease in the corporation’s volume of business following the loss of a major client does not constitute a major unforeseen event.

DIVISION III

EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATE

11.19. An employee certificate issued to a corporation under this chapter certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation for pay periods that end in the calendar year for which the certificate was applied for. The certificate also specifies the number of such pay periods.

For its base year that relates to a particular calendar year, the corporation is required to apply to Investissement Québec for an employee certificate in respect of any individual working for it who, in accordance with section 11.20, may be recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation. A corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization described in subparagraph 1 or 2 of the fifth paragraph of section 11.4 is also required to apply, for the given calendar year that is its base year that relates to a particular calendar year, for an employee certificate in respect of any individual who may be so recognized and who worked in the given year for the other corporation referred to in the first paragraph of section 11.4, if the base year of the other corporation, immediately before the reorganization, was subsequent to the given calendar year.

If Investissement Québec amends or revokes one or more qualification certificates issued to a corporation for a particular calendar year each of which is either a business qualification certificate or a qualification certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph of section 12.2, it must make consequential changes by amending or revoking, as applicable, any employee certificate that was issued to the corporation for the particular year and in respect of which activities that are specified in the qualification certificate or certificates so revoked or that are modified by the amendment to the qualification certificate or certificates were taken into account.

Similarly, if Investissement Québec amends or revokes one or more qualification certificates issued to a corporation and each of which is either an initial qualification certificate, in relation to the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, as the case may be, or a qualification certificate referred to in the first paragraph of section 12.2, it must make consequential changes

(1) by amending or revoking, as applicable, any employee certificate that was issued to the corporation for its base year that relates to a particular calendar year and in respect of which activities that are specified in the qualification certificate or certificates so revoked or that are modified by the amendment to the qualification certificate or certificates were taken into account; or

(2) by issuing, if applicable, an employee certificate in respect of any individual who worked for the corporation in its base year that relates to a particular calendar year and that, because of the amendments made to the qualification certificate or certificates, may, in accordance with section 11.20, be recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation.

Investissement Québec must, at the corporation’s request, amend or revoke, as applicable, any employee certificate issued to it for the base year that relates to a calendar year subsequent to 2012, if the request is based on the fact that, from the calendar year 2013, the set of activities each of which is an activity recognized in respect of a resource region and carried on by the corporation in that base year in one or more of the following parts of regions is no longer taken into consideration:

(1) the part of the Bas-Saint-Laurent region not included in the territories of the regional county municipalities of La Matapédia, La Matanie and La Mitis;

(2) the part of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region not included in the territories of the regional county municipalities of Maria-Chapdelaine, Le Fjord-du-Saguenay and Le Domaine-du-Roy; or

(3) the part of the Mauricie region not included in the territories of the urban agglomeration of La Tuque, Municipalité régionale de comté de Mékinac and Ville de Shawinigan.

If an employee certificate issued to a corporation for a base year of the corporation is amended or revoked because of the application of the fifth paragraph or of subparagraph 1 of the fourth paragraph, Investissement Québec must specify, in the amended certificate or in the notice of revocation, as the case may be, as of which calendar year that relates to that base year the amendment or revocation must be taken into consideration. The same applies if a new employee certificate is issued to the corporation for that base year because of the application of subparagraph 2 of the fourth paragraph.

11.20. An individual may be recognized as an eligible employee of a corporation, for a pay period that ends in a calendar year, if the proportion, expressed as a percentage, that the time spent by the individual during the period in undertaking, supervising or directly supporting the set of activities specified in one or more qualification certificates issued to the corporation for the year, each of which is either a business qualification certificate or a qualification certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph of section 12.2, is of the time spent by the individual during the period in performing all his or her duties with the corporation is at least 75%.

If the calendar year is the base year that relates to a particular calendar year, the activities to be taken into consideration for the purpose of computing the proportion described in the first paragraph in respect of an individual are the following, not the activities referred to in that paragraph:

(1) the activities specified in any initial qualification certificate, in relation to the resource regions, the eligible regions or the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, that was issued to the corporation and is still valid for the particular calendar year, if, according to the certificate, they are recognized for a period included in that particular year;

(2) the activities specified in a qualification certificate referred to in the first paragraph of section 12.2 that was issued to the corporation and is still valid for the particular calendar year, if, according to the certificate, they are recognized for a period included in that particular year and, if the calendar year is subsequent to the calendar year that is the corporation’s base period, within the meaning of the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.72.82.13 of the Taxation Act, that is applicable to the particular calendar year, any other activity that either is specified in a qualification certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph of section 12.2 that was issued to the corporation for the calendar year and that is not revoked, or would have been so specified in the certificate, or in such a certificate, if the corporation had made a request to that effect; and

(3) if the calendar year is referred to in the third paragraph of section 11.1, any other activity that either is specified in a business qualification certificate or in a qualification certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph of section 12.2 that was issued to the corporation for the calendar year and is not revoked, or would have been so specified in the certificate, or in such a certificate, if the corporation had made a request to that effect.

However, if the calendar year to which subparagraph 3 of the second paragraph refers is the year 2010, that subparagraph is to be applied without reference, if applicable, to the business qualification certificate according to which the activities in respect of a resource region are recognized by Investissement Québec.

For the purposes of the first and second paragraphs, the administrative tasks of an individual may not be considered to relate to the activities that are specified in a qualification certificate referred to in those paragraphs.

In this section, “administrative tasks” include tasks relating to operations management, accounting, legal or financial services, communications, public relations, and human and physical resources management. They also include tasks relating to commercialization, other than those referred to in the first paragraph of any of sections 11.8, 11.12, 11.15 and 12.8.

11.21. If an individual is temporarily absent from work for reasons it considers reasonable, Investissement Québec may, for the purpose of determining whether the individual meets the conditions for recognition as an eligible employee, consider that the individual continued to work and to perform his or her duties throughout the period of absence exactly as he or she was performing them immediately before the beginning of that period.

CHAPTER XII

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT TO PROMOTE EMPLOYMENT IN GASPÉSIE AND CERTAIN MARITIME REGIONS OF QUÉBEC

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

12.1. In this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise,

“eligible region” means

(1) the Bas-Saint-Laurent region;

(2) the Côte-Nord region; or

(3) the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region;

“recognized business”, in relation to a calendar year, means the set of activities carried on by a corporation that are specified in a qualification certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph of section 12.2 and issued to the corporation for the calendar year;

“tax credit to promote employment in the Gaspésie and certain maritime regions of Québec” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.6.6.2 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year.

For the purposes of this chapter, a qualification certificate referred to in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph of section 11.2 or issued for the purposes of Division II.6.6.4 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act and according to which one or more activities referred to in any of subparagraphs 3 and 5 to 7 of the first paragraph of section 12.7 are recognized by Investissement Québec is deemed to be a qualification certificate referred to in the first paragraph of section 12.2 in which those activities are the only ones that have been specified.

12.2. To benefit from the tax credit to promote employment in the Gaspésie and certain maritime regions of Québec, a corporation that is carrying on activities in one or more eligible regions must obtain a qualification certificate (in this chapter referred to as an “initial qualification certificate”) from Investissement Québec in relation to the set of activities that are carried on by the corporation in such a region in the first calendar year for which the application for the qualification certificate is filed and that may be recognized by Investissement Québec.

To benefit from the tax credit, a corporation must also obtain the following documents from Investissement Québec:

(1) a qualification certificate (in this chapter referred to as a “business qualification certificate”) in respect of activities that are carried on by the corporation in one or more eligible regions and for which the corporation claims the tax credit; and

(2) a certificate (in this chapter referred to as an “employee certificate”) in respect of each individual who meets the requirements for recognition as an eligible employee of the corporation.

The documents referred to in the second paragraph must be obtained for each calendar year that ends in a taxation year for which the corporation intends to claim the tax credit to promote employment in the Gaspésie and certain maritime regions of Québec.

However, Investissement Québec may not issue an initial qualification certificate to a corporation unless the first calendar year for which the application for the certificate is filed precedes the year 2026.

Similarly, Investissement Québec may not issue a business qualification certificate to a corporation for a particular calendar year in respect of the activities carried on by the corporation in one or more eligible regions unless the initial qualification certificate issued to the corporation is valid for the particular year.

If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes an initial qualification certificate issued to a corporation, any business qualification certificate issued to the corporation for the particular calendar year that includes the effective date of the revocation or for a subsequent calendar year is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at that time. In such a case, the effective date of the deemed revocation is the date of coming into force of the qualification certificate that is deemed to be revoked.

Investissement Québec may not issue a document referred to in the second paragraph to a corporation for a calendar year subsequent to the year 2025.

12.3. Investissement Québec may issue an initial qualification certificate in relation to the set of activities carried on by a corporation in the eligible regions only if the corporation establishes to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that at least three full-time jobs will be created within a reasonable time in such regions.

For the purpose of determining the number of jobs created, any full-time, part-time or seasonal job created by a corporation in any establishment located in an eligible region, as well as any increase in the number of hours worked by employees of such an establishment, may be taken into account. The job or the increase in the number of hours worked is considered to be all or part of a full-time job, depending on the number of hours involved. Any such job that is created or any such increase that occurs in a period preceding the date of coming into force of the initial qualification certificate may also be taken into account if the corporation held, for that period, a valid initial qualification certificate, in relation to the eligible regions, within the meaning of Chapter XI.

12.4. If a particular corporation carries on a set of activities in one or more eligible regions and resulted from a corporate reorganization involving another corporation that held, immediately before the reorganization, a valid business qualification certificate in relation to that set of activities, the following rules must be taken into consideration in this chapter:

(1) for the purpose of applying section 12.3 to the particular corporation, that corporation and the other corporation are deemed to be one and the same corporation; and

(2) any unrevoked initial qualification certificate issued to the other corporation or deemed to have been issued to it because of the application of this subparagraph is deemed to have been issued to the particular corporation.

However, the presumption set out in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph does not apply in the case of a corporate reorganization that is described in subparagraph 3 of the fifth paragraph.

In this chapter, “corporate reorganization” means

(1) an amalgamation of corporations;

(2) the winding-up of a wholly-owned subsidiary into its parent; or

(3) a reorganization in the course of which a corporation transfers to another corporation all of its activities referred to in an unrevoked business qualification certificate issued to the corporation for the calendar year including the time of the transfer, which time is considered to be the time of the reorganization, provided that all the issued shares of each class of shares of the capital stock of each of the two corporations that are parties to the transfer are owned by the same person or are owned by the same group of persons and are distributed among its members in such a manner that the proportion of issued shares of any class of shares of the capital stock of either of the two corporations that are owned by each member is identical to the proportion of issued shares of the corresponding class of shares of the capital stock of the other corporation that are owned by the member.

For the purposes of paragraph 2 of the definition of “corporate reorganization” in the fifth paragraph, a corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of another corporation (in this chapter referred to as the “parent”), if at least 90% of all the issued shares of each class of shares of its capital stock are owned by the parent.

DIVISION II

INITIAL QUALIFICATION CERTIFICATE AND BUSINESS QUALIFICATION CERTIFICATE

12.5. An initial qualification certificate issued to a corporation confirms that the activities specified in the certificate and carried on by the corporation in an eligible region, in the first calendar year referred to in the certificate, are activities recognized by Investissement Québec under this chapter. However, that first calendar year may not precede the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which the corporation filed the application for the certificate with Investissement Québec.

If the initial qualification certificate is issued to a corporation resulting from a corporate reorganization described in subparagraph 1 or 2 of the fifth paragraph of section 12.4, it also sets out the activities specified in the initial qualification certificate that was held, immediately before the reorganization, by the other corporation referred to in the first paragraph of that section. If, subsequently, the latter certificate is amended or revoked, Investissement Québec must make the resulting amendments to the initial qualification certificate issued to the corporation.

A corporation that files an application for an initial qualification certificate is required to inform Investissement Québec of all the activities it carried on in one or more eligible regions in the first calendar year for which it makes the application.

If, as of a particular date, an activity may no longer be recognized under sections 12.7 to 12.9 and a corporation holds an initial qualification certificate in which the activity is specified, Investissement Québec must, at the corporation’s request, amend the qualification certificate to specify that the activity is recognized only for a period that ends immediately before the particular date.

If, as of a particular date, an activity may be recognized under sections 12.7 to 12.9 and the corporation carried on the activity in an eligible region in the first calendar year covered by the initial qualification certificate it holds, Investissement Québec must amend the qualification certificate to specify that the activity is recognized as of the particular date.

12.6. A business qualification certificate issued to a corporation, for a calendar year, specifies the activities carried on by the corporation in one or more eligible regions in the year that are recognized by Investissement Québec under this chapter. It confirms that the activities constitute a business that is recognized by Investissement Québec for the year for the purposes of the tax credit to promote employment in the Gaspésie and certain maritime regions of Québec.

12.7. Subject to section 12.9, an activity may be recognized by Investissement Québec if it is

(1) an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing finished or semi-finished products in the field of marine biotechnology;

(2) a mariculture activity;

(3) an activity that consists in processing marine products, such as fish and seafood, except where it is carried on either in the part of the Bas-Saint-Laurent region that is not included in the territory of Municipalité régionale de comté de La Matanie, or in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region;

(4) a recreational activity intended particularly for tourists, an activity that consists in operating a tourist accommodation establishment described in subparagraph 2 of the third paragraph (including a food manufacturing or processing activity included in the tourist accommodation offer), an activity that consists in renting transportation equipment for recreational purposes or outdoor equipment, an activity relating to guided tours and boat excursions, or an activity relating to the operation of recreational facilities that foster tourism, that is carried on in the part of the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region represented by the territory of the urban agglomeration of Îles-de-la- Madeleine;

(6) an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing finished or semi-finished products from peat or slate, other than an activity related to the primary processing of those minerals, and that is carried on by a corporation that did not make the election under the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.72.82.3.1.1 of the Taxation Act; or

(7) an activity that consists in producing wind power or manufacturing wind turbines or their key components, in particular, towers, rotors or nacelles, unless the activity is carried on in the Côte-Nord region or the part of the Bas-Saint-Laurent region that is not included in the territory of the Municipalité régionale de comté de La Matanie.

For the purposes of subparagraph 4 of the first paragraph,

(1) a recreational activity intended particularly for tourists includes equestrian activities, diving or nature interpretation activities;

(2) a tourist accommodation establishment means such an establishment duly registered under the Tourist Accommodation Act (chapter H-1.01);

(3) a food manufacturing or processing activity is included in a tourist accommodation offer only if it is incidental to the tourist accommodation offer and is intended exclusively for the clientele of the tourist accommodation establishment;

(4) an activity that consists in renting transportation equipment for recreational purposes includes renting boats, watercrafts and bicycles for such purposes;

(5) an activity relating to guided tours and boat excursions may be recognized only if it lasts less than 24 hours; and

(6) a recreational facility that fosters tourism includes a museum, a theatre, a performance hall, an interpretation centre or a health centre.

The following activities are not activities referred to in subparagraph 4 of the first paragraph:

(1) an activity that consists in renting automobiles;

(2) an activity relating to transportation services by plane, ferry or bus; and

(3) an activity relating to the operation of facilities such as cinemas, drive-ins, mini-golfs, arcades, bowling alleys, pool halls, bars or private clubs.

A health centre referred to in subparagraph 6 of the third paragraph means a relaxation centre, spa, Nordic bath, massage therapy centre or any other place offering similar services, but does not include a centre where health care is provided by health professionals such as physicians, chiropractors, dentists or nurses.

A design or engineering activity that is carried on by a corporation for the purpose of manufacturing or processing a property may be recognized by Investissement Québec even if the manufacturing or processing of the property is entrusted to a third party, provided that the manufacturing or processing activities are activities referred to in the first paragraph and that the corporation retains broad control over the manufacturing or processing process.

12.8. A commercialization activity that is carried on by a corporation in a particular calendar year may be recognized by Investissement Québec if the activity is incidental to an activity that is referred to in section 12.7 and carried on in an eligible region in the particular year by the corporation or a corporation associated with it, in the course of a recognized business in relation to that year.

For the purposes of this chapter, a commercialization activity referred to in the first paragraph is deemed to be carried on in an eligible region.

12.9. None of the following activities may be recognized by Investissement Québec:

(1) a food manufacturing or processing activity that is carried on in restaurants, hotels, shopping centre fast-food outlets, supermarkets, grocery stores or other similar commercial establishments, unless it is referred to in subparagraph 4 of the first paragraph of section 12.7;

(2) a scientific research and experimental development activity;

(3) an activity that consists in manufacturing or processing alcoholic beverages;

(4) a maintenance and repair activity; and

(5) an installation activity, such as an activity involved in the installation of factory-built houses, steel joists, ventilation ducts, electrical systems or kitchen cabinets.

12.10. Investissement Québec may, at the request of a corporation, revoke the initial qualification certificate issued to the corporation if, because of a major unforeseen event, the corporation must cease carrying on activities that are recognized by Investissement Québec for the purposes of this chapter. The revocation becomes effective at the beginning of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the activities ceased.

A decrease in the corporation’s volume of business following the loss of a major client does not constitute a major unforeseen event.

DIVISION III

EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATE

12.11. An employee certificate issued to a corporation under this chapter certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation for pay periods that end in the calendar year for which the certificate was applied for. The certificate also specifies the number of such pay periods.

If Investissement Québec amends or revokes one or more qualification certificates issued to a corporation for a particular calendar year each of which is either a business qualification certificate or a qualification certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph of section 11.2, it must make consequential changes by amending or revoking, as applicable, any employee certificate that was issued to the corporation for the particular year and in respect of which activities that are specified in the qualification certificate or certificates so revoked or that are modified by amendment to the qualification certificate or certificates were taken into account.

12.12. An individual may be recognized as an eligible employee of a corporation, for a pay period that ends in a calendar year, if the proportion, expressed as a percentage, that the time spent by the individual during the period in undertaking, supervising or directly supporting the set of activities specified in one or more qualification certificates issued to the corporation for the year, each of which is either a business qualification certificate or a qualification certificate referred to in subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph of section 11.2, is of the time spent by the individual during the period in performing all his or her duties with the corporation is at least 75%.

For the purposes of the first paragraph, the administrative tasks of an individual may not be considered to relate to the activities that are specified in a qualification certificate referred to in that paragraph.

In this section, “administrative tasks” include tasks relating to operations management, accounting, legal or financial services, communications, public relations, and human and physical resources management. They also include the tasks relating to commercialization, other than those referred to in the first paragraph of any of sections 11.8, 11.12, 11.15 and 12.8.

12.13. If an individual is temporarily absent from work for reasons it considers reasonable, Investissement Québec may, for the purpose of determining whether the individual meets the conditions for recognition as an eligible employee, consider that the individual continued to work and to perform his or her duties throughout the period of absence exactly as he or she was performing them immediately before the beginning of that period.

CHAPTER XIII

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF E-BUSINESS

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

13.1. In this chapter, “tax credit for the development of e-business” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.1.9 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year.

13.2. To benefit from the tax credit for the development of e-business, a corporation must obtain the following certificates from Investissement Québec:

(1) a certificate in respect of the corporation (in this chapter referred to as a “corporation certificate”); and

(2) a certificate in respect of each individual for whom the corporation claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as an “employee certificate”).

The certificates must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to claim the tax credit.

However, Investissement Québec may issue an employee certificate in respect of an individual to a corporation for a particular taxation year only if a corporation certificate is also issued to the corporation for the year and that certificate covers the whole year or, if applicable, the part of the year for which the individual meets the conditions of section 13.10.

If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes a corporation certificate issued to a corporation for a taxation year, any employee certificate issued to the corporation for that year is also deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at that time. In such a case, the effective date of the deemed revocation is the date of coming into force of the employee certificate that is deemed to be revoked. If, in the circumstances described in the first or second paragraph of section 13.8, Investissement Québec changes the part of a taxation year that is specified in a corporation certificate, it must, if applicable, make consequential changes by amending or revoking any employee certificate issued to the corporation in relation to that year.

DIVISION II

CORPORATION CERTIFICATE

13.3. A corporation certificate issued to a corporation for a taxation year certifies that the corporation meets the following criteria for the year or, if the first or second paragraph of section 13.8 applies, for the part of the year specified in the certificate:

(1) the criteria relating to activities;

(2) the criterion relating to services provided; and

(3) the criterion relating to the maintenance of a minimum number of jobs.

The part of the taxation year that, if applicable, is specified in the certificate corresponds to a part of the year that either is described in subparagraph 1 or 2 of the first paragraph of section 13.8 or meets the conditions of subparagraphs 1 and 2 of the second paragraph of that section.

The certificate also specifies, if applicable,

(1) the proportion of the corporation’s gross revenue deriving from activities described in subparagraphs 5 and 7 of the first paragraph of section 13.5 that is attributable to applications developed by the corporation to be used exclusively outside Québec; and

(2) the proportion of the corporation’s gross revenue deriving from activities described in subparagraphs 8 and 9 of the first paragraph of section 13.5 that is ultimately attributable to applications developed, in the course of activities described in subparagraphs 5 and 7 of the first paragraph of section 13.5, to be used exclusively outside Québec.

13.4. The criteria relating to activities are met if the proportion of the corporation’s gross revenue deriving from eligible activities in the information technology sector is at least 75% and the proportion of its gross revenue deriving from activities referred to in subparagraphs 5 and 7 to 9 of the first paragraph of section 13.5 is at least 50%.

The criteria are considered to be met for a particular taxation year of the corporation if they are met for the corporation’s preceding taxation year or, if the first or second paragraph of section 13.8 applies to that preceding year, for a part of that preceding year that either is referred to in subparagraph 1 or 2 of that first paragraph or meets the conditions of subparagraphs 1 and 2 of that second paragraph.

However, if the preceding taxation year has less than 183 days, the second paragraph is to be read as follows:

“The criteria are considered to be met for a particular taxation year of the corporation if they are met for its most recent previous taxation year that has at least 183 days.”

Similarly, a part of a taxation year is taken into consideration for the purposes of the second paragraph only if it has at least 183 days.

13.5. The following activities are eligible activities of the information technology sector:

(1) computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing activities included in the group described under code 334110 of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Canada, as amended from time to time and published by Statistics Canada, which code is in this paragraph referred to as the “NAICS code” ;

(2) radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing activities included in the group described under NAICS code 334220;

(2.1) semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing activities included in the group described under NAICS code 334410;

(3) activities carried on by computer, computer peripheral and pre-packaged software wholesaler-distributors included in the group described under NAICS code 417310;

(4) activities carried on by computer and software stores included in the group described under NAICS code 443120;

(5) activities carried on by software publishers included in the group described under NAICS code 511210;

(6) activities consisting in data processing, hosting and related services included in the group described under NAICS code 51821;

(7) activities consisting in computer systems design and related services included in the group described under NAICS code 541510;

(8) subject to the second paragraph, activities consisting in temporary help services included in the group described under NAICS code 561320; and

(9) subject to the second paragraph, activities carried on by professional employer organizations included in the group described under NAICS code 561330.

However, the following activities do not constitute eligible activities of the information technology sector:

(1) any activity that, but for this subparagraph, would be described in subparagraph 8 or 9 of the first paragraph and that consists in providing employees who do not mainly carry on activities described in subparagraphs 1 to 7 of that paragraph; and

(2) any other activity that, but for this subparagraph, would be described in subparagraph 8 or 9 of the first paragraph, if, for the taxation year or the part of year concerned, the corporation’s gross revenue deriving from the set of its activities that would be described in those subparagraphs if no reference was made to this paragraph and no account was taken of the corporation’s employment placement agency and executive search activities included in the group described under NAICS code 561310, is equal to or greater than the corporation’s gross revenue deriving from the set of its activities described in subparagraphs 5 and 7 of the first paragraph.

In addition, for a taxation year of a corporation whose first day is prior to 30 October 2010 and that either begins or ends in that calendar year, the activities described in subparagraphs 8 and 9 of the first paragraph constitute eligible activities of the information technology sector only if the corporation made an election under section 13.14.

13.6. The criterion relating to services provided is met if at least 75% of the corporation’s gross revenue deriving from activities described in subparagraphs 5 and 7 to 9 of the first paragraph of section 13.5 is attributable to the following services:

(1) in relation to services provided by the corporation as part of activities described in those subparagraphs 5 and 7 (other than activities the results of which must be integrated into property intended for sale or whose purpose concerns the operation of such property), services

(a) whose ultimate beneficiary is a person or a partnership with whom the corporation is dealing at arm’s length, or

(b) that relate to an application developed by the corporation and used exclusively outside Québec; and

(2) in relation to services provided by the corporation to a particular person or a particular partnership as part of activities described in those subparagraphs 8 and 9, such services to the extent that the corporation’s gross revenue deriving from the activities described in those subparagraphs 8 and 9 that are related to those services

(a) ultimately relates to an application that results from activities described in those subparagraphs 5 and 7 (other than activities the results of which must be integrated into property intended for sale or whose purpose concerns the operation of such property) and that has been developed for the benefit of the particular person or particular partnership as part of activities described in those subparagraphs 8 and 9, or for the benefit of another person or partnership to whom the particular person or particular partnership provides services as part of activities described in those subparagraphs 8 and 9, and

(b) is ultimately attributable to the following services provided as part of activities described in those subparagraphs 5 and 7 (other than activities the results of which must be integrated into property intended for sale or whose purpose concerns the operation of such property):

i. services whose ultimate beneficiary is a person or partnership with whom the corporation is dealing at arm’s length, and

ii. services that relate to an application developed by the corporation, or by the particular person or particular partnership, as the case may be, and used exclusively outside Québec.

For the purposes of the first paragraph, services provided by a corporation to a member of a cooperative or of a federation of cooperatives are considered to be services provided to a person with whom the corporation is not dealing at arm’s length if the corporation is not dealing at arm’s length with the cooperative or federation of cooperatives.

For the purposes of subparagraph a of subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph, the particular person or partnership who directly or indirectly uses the applications developed by a corporation following the provision of services by the corporation to a person or a partnership as part of activities described in subparagraphs 5 and 7 of the first paragraph of section 13.5, not the customers of the particular person or partnership, is considered to be the ultimate beneficiary of those services.

For the purposes of subparagraph i of subparagraph b of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, the particular person or partnership who directly or indirectly uses the applications developed by a person or a partnership following the provision of services as part of activities described in subparagraphs 5 and 7 of the first paragraph of section 13.5, not the customers of the particular person or partnership, is considered to be the ultimate beneficiary of the services a corporation provides to a person or a partnership as part of activities described in subparagraphs 8 and 9 of the first paragraph of section 13.5.

For the purposes of this section and the third paragraph of section 13.3, Investissement Québec may consider that a corporation developed an application that is used exclusively outside Québec if it is of the opinion that the use of that application in Québec is insignificant in proportion to its overall use. To that end, Investissement Québec must take into account the impact that such a decision would likely have on the growth of activities in Québec that are related to the use of such an application and the impact of the increase of those activities on the competitiveness of businesses that carry on similar activities in Québec.

In this section, for the purpose of determining whether a corporation is considered not to be dealing at arm’s length with another person or partnership, in addition to subparagraph 3 of section 5 of this Act, the following rules apply:

(1) a corporation is deemed not to be dealing at arm’s length with another person or partnership if the corporation has, in respect of the other person or partnership, a significant influence deriving from a particular agreement; and

(2) if a corporation is not dealing at arm’s length with another person or partnership and the other person or partnership has, in respect of a third person or partnership, a significant influence deriving from a particular agreement, the corporation is deemed not to be dealing at arm’s length with the third person or partnership.

For the purposes of the sixth paragraph, a “significant influence” deriving from a particular agreement means an influence deriving from an agreement that is a franchise, licence, lease, distribution, supply or management agreement or other similar agreement or arrangement the main purpose of which is to govern the relationship between a particular person or partnership and another person or partnership with regard to the carrying on of the business of the other person or partnership, such that, were the influence exercised, the particular person or partnership would, in fact, control the other person or partnership.

13.7. The criterion relating to the maintenance of a minimum number of jobs is met if, throughout the taxation year or part of year concerned, there are at least six individuals, among the individuals working for the corporation, who meet the conditions of the first paragraph of section 13.10.

The criterion relating to the maintenance of a minimum number of jobs is deemed to be met if the corporation establishes to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that it does not otherwise meet the criterion because of exceptional circumstances beyond the corporation’s control, such as the departure of employees and the impossibility of immediately filling the positions left vacant. Circumstances relating to a business start-up or a transfer of activities do not in themselves constitute exceptional circumstances.

Investissement Québec is justified in revoking the corporation certificate issued to a corporation because of the application of the presumption provided for in the second paragraph, if it ascertains that the corporation did not fill the vacant positions within a time that may be considered reasonable, particularly given the availability of skilled labour. In such a case, the effective date of the revocation is the date of coming into force of the corporation certificate.

13.8. If, at any time in a particular taxation year, activities until then carried on by a person or a partnership are the subject of a particular transfer to another person or partnership and, taking the whole particular year into consideration, it appears that a corporation involved in the transfer did not meet the criteria set out in sections 13.4 to 13.7, the criteria may, for the purpose of determining whether the corporation is entitled to obtain a corporation certificate for the particular year, be applied only to a part of the year that is described in either of the following subparagraphs:

(1) if the corporation is the transferor, the part of the particular year that begins at the same time as the particular year and that ends on the day preceding the day of the particular transfer; or

(2) if the corporation is the transferee, a part of the particular year that begins on the day of the particular transfer and that ends on the last day of that year or, if it is earlier, the day preceding the day of any other particular transfer of activities in which the corporation is involved.

If a corporation has, at any time, begun to carry on activities referred to in section 13.11 as part of a new business and, taking into consideration the whole particular taxation year included, at least in part, in the start-up period of the business, it appears that the corporation does not meet the criteria set out in sections 13.4 to 13.7, the criteria may, for the purpose of determining whether the corporation is entitled to obtain a corporation certificate for the particular year, be applied only to a part of the year that meets the following conditions:

(1) it is included in a portion of the particular year throughout which there are at least six individuals, among the individuals working for the corporation, who meet the conditions of the first paragraph of section 13.10; and

(2) it ends at the end of the particular year or, if it is earlier, on the day preceding the day of any particular transfer of activities in which the corporation is involved.

However, the second paragraph does not apply if a corporation certificate was issued to the corporation for a preceding taxation year.

For the purposes of this section, “particular transfer” of activities at any time in a taxation year of a corporation means a transfer, including a transfer deriving from the winding-up of a corporation, relating to activities which, at that time, would require the work of at least six individuals who meet the conditions of the first paragraph of section 13.10, if only those activities were taken into account.

DIVISION III

EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATE

13.9. An employee certificate issued to a corporation certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation for the taxation year for which the application for the certificate was made or for the part of the year specified in it.

13.10. An individual may be recognized as an eligible employee of a corporation, if

(1) the individual works full-time for the corporation, that is, at least 26 hours per week, for an expected minimum period of 40 weeks; and

(2) the individual spends at least 75% of working time performing duties that consist in undertaking, supervising or directly supporting eligible activities of the corporation or, if the individual’s services are lent to a client of the corporation as part of a temporary help agreement, eligible activities of the client.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, an individual’s administrative tasks may not be considered to be part of duties that consist in undertaking, supervising or directly supporting eligible activities.

Where, for a taxation year of a corporation whose first day is prior to 30 October 2010 and that either begins or ends in that calendar year, the percentage of the working time spent by an individual in performing duties that consist in undertaking, supervising or directly supporting eligible activities must be determined in accordance with subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, the activities of a client of the corporation must be taken into account only if the corporation made an election under section 13.14.

In this section, “administrative tasks” include tasks relating to operations management, accounting, finance, legal affairs, public relations, communications, contract solicitation, and human and physical resources management.

13.11. Subject to section 13.12, each of the following activities is an eligible activity:

(1) information technology consulting services relating to technology or systems development, or consulting services in e-business processes and solutions, to the extent that the consulting services relate to an activity described in any of subparagraphs 2 to 4;

(2) the development or integration of information systems or of technology infrastructures, as well as, to the extent that it is incidental to such a development or integration activity carried on by the corporation, any activity relating to the maintenance or evolution of such information systems or such technology infrastructures or to the design or development of e-commerce solutions allowing a monetary transaction between the person on behalf of whom the design or development is carried out and that person’s customers; and

(3) ( repealed);

(4) the development of security and identification services.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, an activity relating to the maintenance or evolution of information systems or of technology infrastructures also includes any activity required for the proper operation of systems and infrastructures or required to resolve or prevent problems or incidents, provided that the activity is

(1) a technical corrective or preventive intervention that modifies one or more technical aspects of the components, including computerized processes; or

(2) a diagnostic activity, with remote access and control of systems and technology infrastructures, that leads directly or indirectly to a technical intervention referred to in subparagraph 1.

However, for the purpose of determining, for a taxation year of a corporation whose first day is prior to 30 October 2010 and that either begins or ends in that calendar year, whether an activity is an eligible activity, the second paragraph is taken into consideration only if the corporation made an election under section 13.14.

13.12. The following activities are not eligible activities:

(1) activities not primarily related to e-business;

(2) the operation of an e-business solution, such as the processing of electronic transactions through a transactional website;

(3) the management or operation of computer systems, applications or infrastructures stemming from e-business activities, namely,

(a) the management of e-business processing centres,

(b) the management of remote operations centres,

(d) the operation of business process outsourcing services related to the operation of an e-business solution (back office), and

(e) the management of business processes associated with the internal operation of an e-business solution (internal back office);

(4) the operation of a customer relations centre, namely,

(a) the operation of an existing customer relations management service stemming from e-business activities, and

(b) the operation of a first-level administrative or technical assistance service for businesses and customers, related to the use of an e-business solution, such as taking calls or emails, user support in the use of systems, applications and features, monitoring and recording of requests, initial diagnosis and advice to resolve incidents or problems, referral of information concerning such incidents or problems to more specialized persons for resolution, and resetting passwords;

(5) hardware installation;

(6) training;

(7) an activity relating to an information system concerning marketing designed to increase the visibility of a business and promote its goods and services with existing or potential customers; and

(8) any activity that may reasonably be considered to be related to a digital platform that hosts content encouraging violence or sexism, racism or any other form of discrimination or comprising explicit sex scenes or graphic representations of such scenes or enables the sharing of such content, or that is intended to host or enable the sharing of such content, unless it is established to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that

(a) reasonable measures have been taken by the corporation to ensure that the activities carried out by its employees are not related to such a platform, or

(b) all or substantially all of the content that is hosted or shared, or that is intended to be hosted or shared, does not constitute such content.

For the purposes of subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph, a corporation’s activities carried out by an employee of the corporation are deemed not to be related to e-business if their results must be integrated into property intended for sale or their purpose concerns the operation of such property.

However, the first paragraph does not operate to exclude an activity described in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph of section 13.11 because of the application of the second paragraph of that section.

Similarly, subparagraph 7 of the first paragraph does not operate to exclude an activity described in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph of section 13.11 that relates to an information system including a component that partly concerns marketing.

In addition, for the purpose of determining, for a taxation year of a corporation whose first day is prior to 30 October 2010 and that either begins or ends in that calendar year, the activities that do not constitute eligible activities, the corporation must have made an election under section 13.14 in order for subparagraph a of subparagraph 4 of the first paragraph to be taken into consideration otherwise than as an example of activities consisting in the operation of a customer relations centre and for the following provisions of that first paragraph to be taken into account:

(1) subparagraphs a to e of subparagraph 3;

(2) subparagraph b of subparagraph 4; and

(3) subparagraphs 5 and 6.

13.13. If an individual is temporarily absent from work for reasons it considers reasonable, Investissement Québec may, for the purpose of determining whether the individual meets the conditions of the first paragraph of section 13.10 for recognition as an eligible employee, consider that the individual continued to perform his or her duties throughout the period of absence exactly as he or she was performing them immediately before the beginning of that period. In such a case, the individual is deemed, for the purposes of the first paragraph of section 13.7 and subparagraph 1 of the second paragraph of section 13.8 to be included, throughout the period of absence, in the group of individuals who work for the corporation.

13.13.1. Investissement Québec may not issue an employee certificate in respect of an individual to a corporation for a taxation year or part of the taxation year, if a certificate in respect of the individual has been issued, for the same year or part of year, under Division III of Chapter XVII.

DIVISION IV

SPECIAL RULE

13.14. For a taxation year whose first day is prior to 30 October 2010 and that either begins or ends in that calendar year, a corporation may file an election in writing with Investissement Québec, on or before the last day of the 15th month following the end of that taxation year, to have the activities or provisions referred to in the third paragraph of sections 13.5 and 13.10 to 13.12 taken into consideration to the extent and for the purposes provided for in each of those paragraphs.

CHAPTER XIV

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT FOR MARKET DIVERSIFICATION OF MANUFACTURING BUSINESSES

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

14.1. In this chapter, “tax credit for the market diversification of manufacturing businesses” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.11 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year.

14.2. To benefit from the tax credit for the market diversification of manufacturing businesses, a corporation must obtain a certificate (in this chapter referred to as a “corporation certificate”). The certificate must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to claim the tax credit.

DIVISION II

CORPORATION CERTIFICATE

14.3. A corporation certificate issued to a corporation for a particular taxation year certifies that at least 75% of the corporation’s gross revenue for the preceding taxation year, or for the taxation year that precedes that preceding year, is derived from eligible activities.

14.4. The following activities are eligible activities:

(1) structural wood product manufacturing activities covered by code 321215 of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Canada, as amended from time to time and published by Statistics Canada, which code is in this section referred to as the “NAICS code”;

(2) activities carried on by particle board and fibreboard mills covered by NAICS code 321216;

(3) wood window and door manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 321911;

(4) other millwork activities covered by NAICS code 321919;

(5) plastic pipe and pipe fitting manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 326122;

(6) plastic window and door manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 326196;

(7) rubber and plastic hose and belting manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 326220;

(8) activities consisting in iron and steel pipes and tubes manufacturing from purchased steel covered by NAICS code 331210;

(9) prefabricated metal building and component manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 332311;

(10) other plate work and fabricated structural product manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 332319;

(11) metal window and door manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 332321;

(12) power boiler and heat exchanger manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 332410;

(13) metal tank manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 332420;

(14) metal valve manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 332910;

(15) ventilation, heating, air-conditioning and commercial refrigeration equipment manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 3334;

(16) material handling equipment manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 333920;

(17) communication and energy wire and cable manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 335920; and

(18) wiring device manufacturing activities covered by NAICS code 335930.

CHAPTER XV

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT WORK CARRIED ON BY A BIOPHARMACEUTICAL CORPORATION

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

15.1. In this chapter, “tax credit for scientific research and experimental development work carried on by a biopharmaceutical corporation” means the fiscal measure provided for in sections 1029.7.0.1 and 1029.7.2.1 of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under section 1029.7 for a taxation year.

15.2. To benefit from the tax credit for scientific research and experimental development work carried on by a biopharmaceutical corporation, a corporation must obtain from Investissement Québec a qualification certificate in respect of the activities it carries on or will carry on and a certificate in respect of the activities it carries on. However, an application for a qualification certificate cannot be granted by Investissement Québec if the application is filed after 3 June 2014.

The certificate must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to avail itself of the tax credit for scientific research and experimental development work carried on by a biopharmaceutical corporation.However, no certificate may be issued to a corporation for a taxation year of the corporation that begins after 4 June 2014.

If, at a particular time, Investissement Québec revokes a qualification certificate issued to a corporation, any certificate issued to the corporation for the taxation year that includes the date on which the revocation becomes effective or for a subsequent taxation year is deemed to be revoked by Investissement Québec at that time. In such a case, the effective date of the deemed revocation is the date of coming into force of the certificate that is deemed to be revoked.

DIVISION II

QUALIFICATION CERTIFICATE AND CERTIFICATE

15.3. A qualification certificate issued to a corporation under this chapter certifies that the activities specified in the qualification certificate and that the corporation carries on or will carry on are recognized as eligible activities.

15.4. The following human health-related activities are eligible activities:

(1) integrated innovative pharmaceutics (patented products) that consist in manufacturing and commercializing drugs as well as carrying out drug-related activities in the form of basic research, product development, clinical research or chemical synthesis;

(2) generic pharmaceutical manufacturing that consists in manufacturing and commercializing generic versions of prescription or non-prescription drugs whose patents have expired;

(3) contract pharmaceutical manufacturing that consists in manufacturing drugs for innovative pharmaceutical businesses, generic products businesses or large buyers;

(4) biotechnology that comprises

(a) therapeutic products, namely those that derive from drug research and development essentially targeting the small-molecule market rather than biological products, or that consist in devising methods of administering drugs in an organism or in developing cellular therapies,

(b) diagnostic products,

(c) biological processes, namely those that consist in producing drugs or vaccines, producing pharmaceutical proteins through the culture of genetically modified cells, developing genetically modified organisms for the production of drugs or in extracting active drug ingredients from natural sources, and

(d) pharmaceutical research, which consists in using genetic information to define targets for drug action or in offering products and services in genomics research; and

(5) contract research that consists in providing services in developing new drugs, such as bioequivalence studies, preclinical and clinical trials and the management of studies.

15.5. A certificate issued to a corporation certifies that the activities it carried on throughout the taxation year for which the application for the certificate was filed are activities mentioned in the qualification certificate the corporation has obtained.

15.6. Investissement Québec may issue a certificate to a corporation if, for the taxation year for which the application for the certificate is filed,

(1) the qualification certificate issued to the corporation was valid; and

(2) Investissement Québec is of the opinion that the activities specified in the corporation’s qualification certificate represented at least 75% of the activities it carried on throughout that taxation year.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, Investissement Québec shall take into consideration the duties performed by all of the corporation’s employees and the activities that were carried on on its behalf in that taxation year.

15.7. Investissement Québec may, before issuing a qualification certificate or a certificate under this chapter or before amending or revoking such a document, obtain the advice of the Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie.

CHAPTER XVI

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT RELATING TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL

16.1. In this chapter, “tax credit relating to information technology integration” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.14.2.2 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year.

16.2. To benefit from the tax credit relating to information technology integration, a corporation or, if it avails itself of the measure as a member of a partnership, the partnership, must obtain from Investissement Québec a certificate in respect of each of the contracts for which it avails itself of the measure (in this chapter referred to as a “contract certificate”).

An application by a corporation or a partnership for a certificate in respect of a contract must be filed with Investissement Québec before the contract is entered into. However, Investissement Québec may, for reasons it considers reasonable, allow such an application to be filed after the contract is entered into.

Despite the second paragraph, Investissement Québec may not accept an application for a certificate, in respect of a contract, filed with Investissement Québec before 27 March 2015 or after 10 March 2020, unless

(a) the contract was the subject of a written prior agreement, made before 11 March 2020, that meets the conditions of section 16.4; and

(b) the application is filed before 1 July 2020.

DIVISION II

CONTRACT CERTIFICATE

16.3. A contract certificate that is issued to a corporation or a partnership certifies that the contract referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible information technology integration contract. It also lists the activities carried on under the contract that constitute the supply of a qualified management software package.

16.4. A contract to be entered into by a corporation or a partnership is recognized as an eligible information technology integration contract if it corresponds exactly to a written prior agreement, made after 26 March 2015 and before 11 March 2020, that

(1) is related to a preliminary analysis carried out by the corporation or partnership or on its behalf to draw up a plan describing its needs so that it may have access to a computerized infrastructure allowing a management software package to be used to optimize its business processes; and

(2) is entered into with a person dealing at arm’s length with the corporation or partnership who undertakes to provide the property and services relating to the supply of a qualified management software package himself, herself or itself.

16.5. The following activities, alone or in combination, constitute the supply of a qualified management software package:

(1) the sale or leasing of a management software package or of an open-source management software package, or of usage rights for such property, that mainly enables management of one or more of the following elements:

(a) all the operational processes of a business through the integration of all the functions of the business;

(b) the interactions of a business with its clients through multiple and interconnected communication channels; or

(c) a network of businesses involved in the production of a product or the provision of a service required by the end client to cover all movements of materials or information from point of origin to point of consumption;

(2) the provision of services related to the development, integration (installation and implementation), reconfiguration and evolution of a software package referred to in subparagraph 1;

(3) the provision of services required to support and train the personnel of the business and resolve bugs in relation to the integration of a software package referred to in subparagraph 1 into the business; and

(4) the sale or leasing of general-purpose data processing equipment and related system software, including ancillary data processing equipment, and of the application software required as part of the integration of a software package referred to in subparagraph 1 into the business, or of usage rights of such property.

An activity described in subparagraph 4 of the first paragraph constitutes the supply of a qualified management software package only if the property that is the subject of the activity was not used for any purpose or acquired or leased to be used or leased for any purpose whatsoever before it was acquired or leased by a corporation or partnership.

CHAPTER XVII

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT FOR MAJOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PROJECTS

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL RULES

17.1. In this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise,

“eligibility period” in relation to an eligible digitization contract of a corporation has the meaning assigned by section 1029.8.36.0.3.84 of the Taxation Act;

“job maintenance period” in relation to an eligible digitization contract of a corporation means the period beginning on the day that follows the last day of the eligibility period in relation to the eligible digitization contract and ending on the last day of the seven-year period that follows the time the eligible digitization activities provided for in that contract began to be carried out;

“tax credit for major digital transformation projects” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.1.10 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year.

17.2. To benefit from the tax credit for major digital transformation projects, a corporation must obtain the following certificates from Investissement Québec:

(1) a certificate in respect of an eligible digitization contract (in this chapter referred to as a “contract certificate”); and

(2) a certificate in respect of each individual for whom the corporation claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as an “employee certificate”).

The employee certificate must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to claim the tax credit.

The corporation must file an application for a certificate,

(1) in the case of a contract certificate, before the time the eligible digitization activities provided for in the contract begin to be carried out; or

(2) in the case of an employee certificate, within a reasonable time after the end of the taxation year for which the application for the certificate is made.

DIVISION II

CONTRACT CERTIFICATE

17.3. A contract certificate issued to a corporation certifies that the contract referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible digitization contract for the purposes of the tax credit for major digital transformation projects.

17.4. A contract entered into by a corporation may be recognized as an eligible digitization contract, if

(1) the contract is entered into after 17 March 2016 and before 1 January 2019;

(2) the contract is not a renewal or extension of an existing contract;

(3) the contract provides for the carrying out of eligible digitization activities for another person for a minimum period of seven years that begins on the day the activities begin to be carried out;

(4) the eligible digitization activities provided for in the contract result from activities that were entirely carried out outside Québec by another person for a minimum period of 24 months before the contract is entered into; and

(5) the carrying out of the contract gives rise to the creation, within a reasonable time after the eligible digitization activities provided for in the contract begin to be carried out, of at least 500 jobs in Québec held by individuals who meet the conditions of the first paragraph of section 17.10 and that minimum number of jobs is maintained until the end of a seven-year period following the time those activities begin to be carried out.

17.5. To determine whether a corporation meets the requirements relating to the creation and maintenance of a minimum number of 500 jobs set out in paragraph 5 of section 17.4 in relation to the carrying out of a contract, the following rules must be taken into account:

(1) the creation of a job in relation to the contract materializes, following the hiring of a new employee by the corporation, only once the duties of that employee begin to be carried on;

(2) subject to paragraph 3, an individual is considered to be a new employee of a corporation only if the employee has rendered no remunerated services to the corporation for a minimum period of 24 months before the contract is entered into; and

(3) a maximum number of 100 employees may be considered to be new employees even if they have already rendered remunerated services to the corporation during the period provided for in paragraph 2.

17.6. A corporation must send Investissement Québec, for each taxation year included in the job maintenance period in relation to an eligible digitization contract of the corporation, a prescribed form containing prescribed information to establish to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that a minimum number of 500 jobs are being held throughout that period, by individuals who meet the conditions of the first paragraph of section 17.10.

The form must be sent to Investissement Québec within a reasonable time after the end of the taxation year referred to in the first paragraph.

The failure of a corporation to send the form in accordance with this section entails the revocation of the contract certificate issued in respect of the contract.

17.7. The requirement relating to the maintenance of a minimum number of 500 jobs set out in paragraph 5 of section 17.4 is deemed to be met, in relation to an eligible digitization contract of a corporation, if the corporation establishes to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that if it does not meet the requirement it is because of exceptional circumstances beyond its control, such as the departure of employees and the impossibility of immediately filling the positions left vacant.

17.8. An eligible digitization activity is an activity provided for in a contract entered into by a corporation to allow the digital transformation of traditional functions that were previously carried out outside Québec by another person and includes the following activities:

(1) the operation of an e-business solution, such as the processing of electronic transactions through a transactional website;

(2) the management or operation of computer systems, applications or infrastructures stemming from e-business activities, including

(a) the management of e-business processing centres,

(b) the management of remote operations centres,

(d) the operation of business process outsourcing services related to the operation of an e-business solution (back office), and

(e) the management of business processes associated with the internal operation of an e-business solution (internal back office);

(3) the operation of a customer relations centre, including

(a) the operation of an existing customer relations management service stemming from e-business activities, and

(4) hardware installation;

(5) training activities;

(6) claims processing;

(7) risk monitoring and control; and

(8) product profitability analysis.

DIVISION III

EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATE

17.9. An employee certificate issued to a corporation certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation for the taxation year for which the application for the certificate was made or for the part of the year specified in it.

17.10. An individual may be recognized as an eligible employee of a corporation, if

(1) the individual works full-time for the corporation, that is, at least 26 hours per week, for an expected minimum period of 40 weeks, in the course of carrying out one or more eligible digitization contracts;

(2) the individual spends at least 75% of working time performing duties that consist in undertaking or directly supervising eligible digitization activities carried out under one or more eligible digitization contracts; and

(3) the individual is identified in respect of a single eligible digitization contract for the purpose of determining whether the corporation meets the requirements relating to the creation and maintenance of a minimum number of 500 jobs set out in paragraph 5 of section 17.4.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, the following rules apply:

(a) where part of an individual’s duties consist in undertaking or directly supervising eligible activities described in section 13.11, that part of the individual’s duties is deemed to consist in the carrying out of eligible digitization activities under an eligible digitization contract; and

(b) an individual’s administrative tasks may not be considered to be part of duties that consist in undertaking or directly supervising eligible digitization activities.

17.11. For the purposes of the first paragraph of section 17.10, if an individual is temporarily absent from work for reasons Investissement Québec considers reasonable, the individual is deemed to have continued to perform his or her duties throughout the period of absence exactly as he or she was performing them immediately before the beginning of that period.

17.12. Investissement Québec may not issue an employee certificate in respect of an individual to a corporation for a taxation year or part of the taxation year, if a certificate in respect of the individual has been issued, for the same year or part of year, under Division III of Chapter XIII.

CHAPTER XVIII

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF PRINT MEDIA

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL RULES

18.1. In this chapter, “tax credit for the digital transformation of print media” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.1.11 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year.

18.2. To benefit from the tax credit for the digital transformation of print media, a corporation or, if it claims the tax credit as a member of a partnership, the partnership must obtain the following certificates from Investissement Québec:

(1) a certificate in respect of a print media business carried on by the corporation or partnership (in this chapter referred to as a “business certificate”);

(2) a certificate in respect of each contract for which the corporation claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as a “contract certificate”); and

(3) a certificate in respect of each individual for whom the corporation claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as an “employee certificate”).

The certificates referred to in subparagraphs 1 and 3 of the first paragraph must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to benefit from the tax credit or for each fiscal period of the partnership of which the corporation is a member that ends in such a taxation year.

DIVISION II

BUSINESS CERTIFICATE

18.3. A business certificate issued to a corporation or a partnership for a taxation year or a fiscal period, as the case may be, certifies that, in the year or fiscal period, the corporation or partnership produced and disseminated a print media that is recognized as an eligible media. The name of that media is specified in the certificate.

18.4. A print media may be recognized as an eligible media if

(1) the media consists in the production and daily or periodic dissemination, by means of a print publication, an information website or a mobile application dedicated to information, of original information content that is specifically intended for the Québec public and pertains to general interest news covering at least three eligible themes; and

(2) the newsroom of that media is located in an establishment, situated in Québec, of the corporation or partnership that publishes it and brings together journalists responsible for original information content.

A print media published on a periodic basis is considered to be an eligible media only if it is produced and disseminated at least 10 times per year.

A corporation or partnership must, to obtain a first business certificate, establish to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that the print media that is referred to in the application for the certificate has been produced and disseminated during a period of at least 12 months before the application was filed.

18.5. Original information content includes a news report, profile, interview, analysis, column, investigative report or editorial. Only written content may be recognized as original information content.

However, none of the following contents are considered to be original information content:

(1) content from a press agency or another media;

(2) specialized content pertaining to a type of personal, recreational or professional activity and geared specifically towards a group, association or category of persons;

(3) content for which a compensation is paid by a third person or a partnership;

(4) content of an advertising or promotional nature, such as an advertorial; and

(5) theme-based content on, for example, hunting and fishing, decoration or science.

A print media that includes, on an incidental basis, excluded content described in the second paragraph may nevertheless be recognized as an eligible media.

18.6. Each of the following topical themes constitutes an eligible theme:

(1) business and the economy;

(2) culture;

(3) international sector;

(4) municipal affairs;

(5) miscellaneous news items;

(6) local interest news; and

(7) politics.

DIVISION III

CONTRACT CERTIFICATE

18.7. A contract certificate issued to a corporation or a partnership certifies that the contract referred to in the certificate and to which the corporation or partnership is a party is recognized as an eligible digital conversion contract.

18.8. A contract entered into by a person or partnership that carries on a print media business is recognized as an eligible digital conversion contract if it pertains to one or more of the following elements:

(1) the acquisition or lease of a qualified property;

(2) the supply of eligible services; or

(3) the attribution of a right of use or of an eligible licence, in relation to a property of another person or partnership.

However, such a contract may be so recognized only if each of the elements to which it pertains serves to start or continue the digital conversion of a print media whose name is specified in a business certificate issued to the corporation or partnership and relates to an establishment of the corporation or partnership situated in Québec in which the media is produced or from which it is disseminated.

18.9. A property acquired or leased by a corporation or a partnership is a qualified property if it constitutes, as the case may be,

(1) general-purpose data processing equipment and the related system software, including ancillary data processing equipment; or

(2) an application software.

However, such a property may be considered to qualify only if it is intended that it will be used by the corporation or partnership, in whole or in part, to carry out eligible digital conversion activities that relate to a print media whose name is specified in a business certificate issued to the corporation or partnership.

18.10. Services supplied to a corporation or partnership are eligible if it is intended that they will consist in the carrying out of eligible digital conversion activities that relate, in whole or in part, to a print media whose name is specified in a business certificate issued to the corporation or partnership.

18.11. A right of use or licence granted to a corporation or partnership, in relation to a property of another person or partnership, is eligible if it is intended that the right or licence will be used by the corporation or partnership, in whole or in part, to carry out eligible digital conversion activities that relate to a print media whose name is specified in a business certificate issued to the corporation or partnership.

18.12. Each of the following activities is an eligible digital conversion activity of a print media published by a corporation or partnership:

(1) an information system development activity;

(2) a technological infrastructure integration activity; and

(3) any activity relating to the maintenance or upgrade of such a system or infrastructure, to the extent that it is incidental to an activity described in subparagraph 1 or 2, as the case may be.

Activities described in the first paragraph include

(1) the development of an interactive decision aid (business modeling); and

(2) the development of a tool providing an image of the current state of the print media publishing business for data analysis purposes (business intelligence).

An activity may be considered to be eligible only if it is directly related to the start or continuation of the digital conversion of a print media whose name is specified in a business certificate issued to the corporation or partnership.

However, none of the following activities are considered to be an eligible digital conversion activity of a print media:

(1) the day-to-day operation of an aid or tool described in the second paragraph;

(2) the management or operation of a computer system, an application or a technological infrastructure;

(3) the operation of a customer relations management service;

(4) the management or operation of a marketing information system designed to raise the visibility of the print media and promote it to an existing or potential clientele; or

(5) any other management or operation activity carried on to produce or disseminate the print media.

DIVISION IV

EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATE

18.13. An employee certificate issued to a corporation or partnership certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation or partnership for, as the case may be, the taxation year or fiscal period for which the application for the certificate was made or for the part of that year or fiscal period that is specified in the certificate.

18.14. An individual may be recognized as an eligible employee of a corporation or partnership, if

(1) the individual works full-time for the corporation or partnership, that is, at least 26 hours per week, for an expected minimum period of 40 weeks; and

(2) at least 75% of the individual’s duties consist in undertaking or directly supervising eligible digital conversion activities that relate to a print media whose name is specified in a business certificate issued to the corporation or partnership.

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, an individual’s administrative tasks are not to be considered as part of duties consisting in undertaking or directly supervising eligible digital conversion activities.

18.15. Where an individual is temporarily absent from work for reasons it considers reasonable, Investissement Québec may, for the purpose of determining whether the individual meets the conditions for recognition as an eligible employee of a corporation or partnership, consider that the individual continued to perform his or her duties throughout the period of absence exactly as he or she was performing them immediately before the beginning of that period.

CHAPTER XIX

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT TO SUPPORT PRINT MEDIA

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL RULES

19.1 In this chapter,

“tax credit to support print media” means the fiscal measure provided for in Division II.6.0.1.12 of Chapter III.1 of Title III of Book IX of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation is deemed to have paid an amount to the Minister of Revenue on account of its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year;

“transitional period” means the calendar year 2019;

“wholly-owned subsidiary” of a corporation or partnership has the meaning assigned by the first paragraph of section 1029.8.36.0.3.109 of the Taxation Act.

19.2 To benefit from the tax credit to support print media, a corporation or, if it claims the tax credit as a member of a partnership, the partnership must obtain the following certificates from Investissement Québec:

(1) a certificate in respect of a print media business carried on by the corporation or partnership (in this chapter referred to as a “business certificate”); and

(2) a certificate in respect of each individual for whom the corporation claims the tax credit (in this chapter referred to as an “employee certificate”).

The certificates must be obtained for each taxation year for which the corporation intends to benefit from the tax credit or for each fiscal period of the partnership of which the corporation is a member that ends in such a taxation year.

Where a corporation or a partnership has a wholly-owned subsidiary, it must also obtain from Investissement Québec, for a taxation year or a fiscal period, as the case may be, that includes all or part of the transitional period, a certificate (in this chapter referred to as an “employee certificate”) in respect of each individual who works for the wholly-owned subsidiary and whose wages are taken into account in computing the portion of the consideration in respect of which the corporation or a corporation that is a member of the partnership claims the tax credit.

19.3 Despite section 9.1 of this Act, the time limit within which a corporation or a partnership may apply for a certificate for a taxation year or a fiscal period, as the case may be, may not, for the purposes of this chapter, end before 16 September 2020.

DIVISION II

BUSINESS CERTIFICATE

19.4 A business certificate issued to a corporation or a partnership for a taxation year or a fiscal period, as the case may be, certifies that, in the year or fiscal period, the corporation or partnership produced and disseminated a print media that is recognized as an eligible media. The name of that media and the address of the establishment in which its newsroom is located are specified in the certificate.

19.5 A print media may be recognized as an eligible media if

(1) the media consists in the daily or periodic production and dissemination, by means of a print publication, an information website or a mobile application dedicated to information, of original information content that is specifically intended for the Québec public and pertains to general interest news covering at least three eligible themes; and

(2) the newsroom of that media is located in an establishment, situated in Canada, of the corporation or partnership that publishes it and brings together journalists responsible for original information content.

A print media published on a periodic basis is considered to be an eligible media only if it is produced and disseminated at least 10 times per year.

A corporation or a partnership must, to obtain a first business certificate, establish to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that the print media that is referred to in the application for the certificate has been produced and disseminated during a period of at least 12 months before the application was filed.

19.6 Original information content includes a news report, profile, interview, analysis, column, investigative report or editorial. Only written content may be recognized as original information content.

However, none of the following contents are considered to be original information content:

(1) content from a press agency or another media;

(2) specialized content pertaining to a type of personal, recreational or professional activity and geared specifically towards a group, association or category of persons;

(3) content for which a compensation is paid by a third person or a partnership;

(4) content of an advertising or promotional nature, such as an advertorial; and

(5) theme-based content on, for example, hunting and fishing, decoration or science.

A print media that includes, on an incidental basis, excluded content described in the second paragraph may nevertheless be recognized as an eligible media.

19.7 Each of the following topical themes constitutes an eligible theme:

(1) business and the economy;

(2) culture;

(3) international sector;

(4) municipal affairs;

(5) miscellaneous news items;

(6) local interest news; and

(7) politics.

DIVISION III

EMPLOYEE CERTIFICATE

19.8 An employee certificate issued to a corporation or partnership certifies that the individual referred to in the certificate is recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation or partnership for, as the case may be, the taxation year or fiscal period for which the application for the certificate was made or for the part of that year or fiscal period that is specified in the certificate.

However, where the corporation’s taxation year or the partnership’s fiscal period includes all or part of the transitional period and the individual works for a wholly-owned subsidiary of the corporation or partnership, the employee certificate issued to the corporation or partnership in respect of the individual certifies that the individual is recognized as an eligible employee of the corporation’s or partnership’s wholly-owned subsidiary for, as the case may be, the taxation year or fiscal period or for the part of that year or fiscal period that is specified in the certificate.

19.9 An individual may be recognized as an eligible employee of a corporation or partnership, if

(1) the individual works full-time for the corporation or partnership, that is, at least 26 hours per week, for an expected minimum period of 40 weeks; and

(2) at least 75% of the individual’s duties consist in undertaking or directly supervising activities consisting in producing original information content intended for publication in a print media or information technology activities related to the production or dissemination of such contents.

For the purpose of determining whether an individual is recognized as an eligible employee of a corporation that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of another corporation or a partnership, for the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, only the activities that the individual undertakes or supervises on behalf of the other corporation or the partnership and that are information technology activities related to the production or dissemination of original information content intended for publication in a print media of the other corporation or the partnership are taken into account.

An individual’s tasks that relate to digital conversion activities or that are administrative tasks are not to be considered as part of duties consisting in undertaking or directly supervising activities to which subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph refers.

In this section,

“administrative tasks” include tasks relating to operations management, accounting, finance, legal affairs, public relations, communications, contract solicitation, and human and physical resources management;

“digital conversion activity” means an activity described in the first or second paragraph of section 18.12;

“print media” of a corporation or partnership means a print media whose name is specified in a business certificate that has been issued to the corporation or partnership, as the case may be.

19.10 Activities consisting in producing original information content include researching, collecting information, verifying facts, photographing, writing, editing, designing and any other content preparation activity.

19.11 The following activities are information technology activities:

(1) the management or operation of a computer system, an application or a technological infrastructure;

(2) the operation of a computerized customer relations management service;

(3) the management or operation of a marketing information system designed to raise the visibility of a print media and promote it to an existing or potential clientele; or

(4) any other information system management or operation activity carried on to produce or disseminate a print media.

19.12 Where an individual is temporarily absent from work for reasons it considers reasonable, Investissement Québec may, for the purpose of determining whether the individual meets the conditions for recognition as an eligible employee of a corporation or partnership, consider that the individual continued to perform his or her duties throughout the period of absence exactly as he or she was performing them immediately before the beginning of that period.

CHAPTER XX

SECTORAL PARAMETERS OF TAX CREDIT TO FOSTER SYNERGY BETWEEN QUÉBEC BUSINESSES

DIVISION I

INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL RULES

20.1. In this chapter, “tax credit to foster synergy between Québec businesses” means the fiscal measure provided for in Title III.6 of Book V of Part I of the Taxation Act, under which a corporation may deduct an amount in computing its tax payable under that Part for a taxation year.

20.2. A corporation that wishes to issue shares of its capital stock, the acquisition of which allows another corporation to benefit from the tax credit to foster synergy between Québec businesses, must obtain an authorized investment certificate from Investissement Québec.

20.3. An application for an authorized investment certificate must be accompanied by a detailed description of the intended use of the funds from the issue of shares of the corporation’s capital stock and the planned time frame for that use.

DIVISION II

AUTHORIZED INVESTMENT CERTIFICATE

20.4. An authorized investment certificate issued to a corporation certifies that the corporation is a qualified corporation that is authorized to issue, for the purposes of the tax credit to foster synergy between Québec businesses, shares of its capital stock for an amount not exceeding the authorized investment amount specified in the certificate. The certificate also confirms that, in the opinion of Investissement Québec, the intended use of the funds from the issue of shares of the corporation’s capital stock, as detailed in the document referred to in section 20.3, is an eligible use of the funds.

The date of coming into force of the authorized investment certificate issued to the corporation may not precede the date of its issue.

The certificate is valid for a period of six months following the date of its issue. However, the corporation may, before the end of that period, apply to Investissement Québec to have it extended for a period of two months.

However, the aggregate of all amounts each of which is the authorized investment amount specified in an authorized investment certificate issued to a corporation may not, for each 12-month period, exceed $1,000,000 in respect of that corporation.

In addition, the total of the authorized investment amounts specified in the authorized investment certificates issued by Investissement Québec during a calendar year must not exceed $30,000,000.

20.5. A corporation may be recognized as a qualified corporation if

(1) it is a Canadian-controlled private corporation throughout the particular year that is its last taxation year that ended before the day on which an application for an authorized investment certificate was filed;

(2) it carries on a business in Québec in the particular year and has an establishment in Québec;

(3) the paid-up capital attributed to the corporation for the particular year, determined in accordance with section 737.18.24 of the Taxation Act, is less than $15,000,000;

(4) at least 75% of the salaries or wages paid in the particular year to its employees was paid to employees who are, within the meaning of the regulations made under section 771 of the Taxation Act, employees of an establishment situated in Québec;

(5) its gross revenue for its last fiscal period that ended before the day on which the application for the certificate was filed is less than $10,000,000; and

(6) the proportion of its gross revenue from eligible activities for the fiscal period described in subparagraph 5 is greater than 50%.

In addition, the corporation must establish to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that, at the time the application for the authorized investment certificate is filed, it has been carrying on eligible activities for more than one year.

However, where the last taxation year or the last fiscal period referred to in the first paragraph has fewer than 183 days, the conditions of subparagraphs 4 to 6 of the first paragraph must be met for the corporation’s most recent taxation year or most recent fiscal period, as applicable, that ended before the day on which the application for the authorized investment certificate was filed and that has at least 183 days.

For the purposes of this section, a condition described in any of subparagraphs 1 to 4 of the first paragraph is considered to be met only if it is so considered for the purposes of the Taxation Act.

20.6. Where a corporation is associated with another corporation in a fiscal period, its gross revenue for that period is equal to the gross revenue for that period of all the corporations associated with each other in that period, determined on the basis of the consolidated statement of earnings of those corporations prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

For the purposes of the first paragraph, a corporation is considered to be associated with another corporation in a fiscal period where the corporation would be so considered for the purposes of Part I of the Taxation Act if the fiscal period were a taxation year.

20.7. The following activities are eligible activities:

(1) activities related to life sciences;

(2) manufacturing or processing;

(3) activities related to green technologies;

(4) the design and development of artificial intelligence solutions; and

(5) activities related to information technologies.

20.8. The following activities are activities related to life sciences:

(1) research, development, production and marketing of medications for human or animal health, or of natural health products; and

(2) the design, development, manufacturing and commercialization of physical or digital medical products, other than medications.

20.9. The following activities are activities related to green technologies:

(1) research and development for the commercial operation of technologies that increase energy efficiency or energy savings or that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or environmental impacts; and

(2) manufacturing or processing for the commercial operation of technologies referred to in paragraph 1.

20.10. The following activities are activities related to information technologies:

(1) computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing;

(2) semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing;

(3) radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment manufacturing;

(4) software or video game publishing;

(5) data processing;

(6) data hosting and related services; and

(7) computer systems design and related services.

20.11. Subject to section 20.12, the use of the funds from an issue of shares of a corporation’s capital stock in relation to an authorized investment certificate is an eligible use if the funds are used for investments related to the carrying on of the corporation’s business in connection with its eligible activities, in accordance with the detailed description referred to in section 20.3, including any amendment made to the description in agreement with Investissement Québec.

20.12. Where a corporation’s activities are mainly referred to in paragraph 2 of section 20.7 and are not otherwise referred to in any of paragraphs 1, 3 and 5 of that section, the use of the funds from an issue of shares of a corporation’s capital stock in relation to an authorized investment certificate is an eligible use if the funds are used in accordance with the detailed description referred to in section 20.3 and in connection with investments related to the carrying on of its business either to improve the use of or connection to new technologies or to integrate technologies enabling, in particular, the digitization or automation of the business’s activities.

20.13. The use of the funds from an issue of shares of a corporation’s capital stock in relation to an authorized investment certificate for any of the following purposes is a use for an ineligible purpose:

(1) making investments outside Québec, unless the corporation can show that the investment is directly related to the carrying on of its business in Québec;

(2) repaying a debt, except with the agreement of Investissement Québec;

(3) lending money;

(4) purchasing land for resale;

(5) purchasing, acquiring or subscribing shares of other corporations or interests in partnerships or trusts;

(6) purchasing a business;

(7) paying dividends, repaying capital or any other disbursement to a shareholder of the corporation or a person related to such a shareholder;

(8) purchasing shares of its capital stock;

(9) carrying out activities related to the publishing of software or games or the processing of data the content of which encourages violence or sexism, racism or any other form of discrimination or comprises explicit sex scenes or graphic representations of such scenes; and

(10) carrying out activities related to the hosting of data or the design of computer systems that enable the hosting, production or sharing of content encouraging violence or sexism, racism or any other form of discrimination or comprising explicit sex scenes or graphic representations of such scenes, unless all or substantially all of the content that is hosted, produced or shared does not constitute such content or the qualified corporation establishes to Investissement Québec’s satisfaction that it has taken reasonable measures to ensure the funds are not used for such purposes.

DIVISION III

SPECIAL RULES

20.14. A corporation must, for the particular taxation year that includes the day on which an authorized investment certificate is applied for and for each taxation year that begins in the 48-month period following the end of the particular year, meet the following conditions:

(1) it is a Canadian-controlled private corporation throughout the year;

(2) it carries on a business in Québec in the year and has an establishment in Québec; and

(3) more than 50% of the salaries or wages paid to its employees in the year has been paid to employees who are, within the meaning of the regulations made under section 771 of the Taxation Act, employees of an establishment situated in Québec.

In addition, the proportion of the corporation’s gross revenue from eligible activities must be greater than 50% for the particular fiscal period that includes the day on which an authorized investment certificate is applied for and for each fiscal period that begins in the 48-month period following the end of the particular fiscal period.

For the purposes of this section, a condition described in the first paragraph is considered to be met only when it is considered to be met for the purposes of the Taxation Act.

20.15. Investissement Québec may revoke an authorized investment certificate that has been issued to a corporation or reduce the amount of the authorized investment that is specified in the certificate in the following cases:

(1) for the particular fiscal period that includes the day on which the application for the authorized investment certificate is filed or for a fiscal period that begins in the 48-month period following the end of the particular fiscal period, the proportion of the corporation’s gross revenue from eligible activities is not greater than 50%;

(2) the corporation does not use all or part of the funds from the issue of shares of its capital stock in relation to the authorized investment certificate in accordance with the detailed description referred to in section 20.3 that was filed with Investissement Québec to obtain the certificate, including any amendment made to the description in agreement with that body, or uses the funds for an ineligible purpose; or

(3) at any time in the 60-month period that begins on the day on which shares of its capital stock were issued in relation to the authorized investment certificate, the corporation unilaterally redeems all or part of the shares, or redeems all the shares it issued to another corporation in relation to the certificate, where the law confers on the other corporation the right to demand that all its shares be redeemed.

2012, c. 1, Schedule A; 2013, c. 10, ss. 178 to 186; I.N. 2015-06-01; 2015, c. 21, ss. 541 to 559; 2015, c. 36, ss. 175 to 178; 2017, c. 1, ss. 394 to 401; 2017, c. 29, ss. 226 to 230; 2019, c. 14, ss. 476 to 478; 2021, c. 14, ss. 200 to 206; 2021, c. 18, ss.164 to 166; 2021, c. 36, ss.163 to 166; 2022, c. 23, ss. 157 and 158; 2021, c. 302021, c. 30, s. 421.

2022-06-08 Show full text at this date